


Freedom From the Past

by Denise



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-15
Updated: 2012-06-15
Packaged: 2017-11-07 18:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 38,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/434321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denise/pseuds/Denise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unguarded revelation sets Teal'c on a path that will change SG-1 forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Freedom From the Past

Freedom From the Past

By

Denise

 

 

 

 

 

"Someone want to explain to me what the hell happened?" Jack demanded, covering Daniel as he untied Teal'c.

 

"We were set upon by several of the villagers," Teal'c explained. "Captain Carter and I fought against them, however the edict not to use deadly force left us at a disadvantage."

 

Jack looked at his teammate, his eyes picking out bruises that Teal'c's symbiote had not had time to heal. Blood trickled from several cuts and scrapes and the man's clothing was torn and stained. It was clear that he'd put up a hell of a fight, but even a Jaffa's strength couldn't do much against a mob.

 

"Where's Sam?" Daniel asked.

 

"They took her with them," Teal'c said. "You must make haste, O'Neill. I do not believe that their plans bode well for Captain Carter's well being," he warned.

 

"Ya think?" Jack said, his concern and frustration allowing him little patience for the Jaffa's need to state the obvious.

 

"Where did they take her?" Daniel asked, helping Teal'c to his feet. They'd found the Jaffa hog tied and beaten at the base of a large tree, the thick ropes restraining him, unbreakable.

 

"In that direction," Teal'c said, pointing to his left. He took a few steps, stopping when O'Neill laid a hand on his arm.

 

"Are you up for this?"

 

"There are many men. You and Daniel Jackson shall require my assistance in subduing them."

 

Jack nodded and let the man that the lead, acknowledging that – even wounded – Teal'c was a better tracker than him.

 

"This doesn't make any sense," Daniel said softly as they walked. "Colonel Jenson said that this was a peaceful planet."

 

"Jenson was wrong," Jack said flatly.

 

 

"But SG-6 spent three weeks here and nothing happened to them. Maybe there's some cultural taboo that we're not aware of. Or maybe we strayed onto their sacred grounds or—"

 

"Or maybe these people are just assholes," Jack interrupted, cutting Daniel off. "Let's worry about the why after we get Carter back and get off this rock."

 

They continued tracking the kidnappers and Jack couldn't help but ignore his own edict. Why the hell had these people attacked Carter and Teal'c? There had been no signs of any sort of animosity during the last twelve hours they'd spent on the planet, which did mesh with Jenson's report. And that lack of animosity was why Jack hadn't minded them being split up. He and Daniel negotiating with the local leaders about setting up some trade while Carter and Teal'c had gone off to gather some samples and get a more accurate picture of just what minerals the planet had to offer.

 

Things had been going well and the next thing Jack knew, Carter had radioed for help, yelling for assistance. He and Daniel had immediately and, most likely rudely, abandoned the negotiations and hurried towards their last reported position.

 

What they found was the stuff of Jack's nightmares, part of his team injured and incapacitated and another part missing and in enemy hands.

 

Teal'c held up a fist and Jack stopped, closing up the gap. "Teal'c?"

 

"The group separated," Teal'c said, kneeling beside the trail. Jack could see that it

branched off, splitting into two distinct paths. The trees were growing thicker now and closer to the path and Jack's instincts were screaming 'ambush'.

 

"Can you tell which one Carter is with?"

 

Teal'c didn't respond but studied the tracks closely. Daniel stood at his shoulder. "Aren't those boot prints?" he asked, pointing at a bare spot in the dirt.

 

"They are indeed," Teal'c confirmed. "This way, O'Neill."

 

"Let's go," Jack said.

 

"At least there'll be less of them," Daniel said.

 

Jack didn't answer, knowing that there was another, far darker, reason for the kidnappers to split up. And it didn't look good for Carter.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Sam's foot caught on something and she tripped. She fell to the ground, her bound hands preventing her from catching herself.

 

The man holding the rope gave it a vicious tug and she cried out as he attempted to drag her to her feet. Two pairs of hands pulled her upwards and she tried to find her balance despite being bound and blindfolded.

 

"Why are you doing this?" She tried to communicate with them but they wouldn't respond. Instead they continued to drag her forward.

 

There were only three of them now, the other three had left for some reason and she didn't know if the decrease in numbers was a good thing or not.  It did give her better odds if she got the chance to fight back. But it also meant that the colonel would have to decide which group she was with and – hopefully – choose the right one.

 

Presuming that he'd heard her call.

 

Presuming that he'd found Teal'c.

 

Presuming that Teal'c had been alive to tell him what had happened and presuming that they'd found her tracks.

 

Presuming that she was still alive when he caught up with them.

 

Suddenly, the person leading her stopped. He gave the rope a harsh tug and Sam fell forward. This time she managed to catch herself and ended up on her hands and knees.

Rough hands tore the blindfold from her face and she blinked, struggling to clear her vision. "Rachon?" she gasped, recognizing her captor as the head priest of the village.

"What's going on?"

 

"Do not speak demon!" he said angrily. "Your lies hold no power here."

 

Sam shook her head. "What lies?"

 

"SILENCE!" He hit her, knocking her to the ground. He grabbed her by her hair and pulled her up. "A generation ago, your kind came here. They subjugated us. Enslaved us. They forced us to work these mines. They murdered and raped and treated us no better than animals. But we won. We cast them out and we earned our freedom. We bought it with our own blood. And we shall never allow this to happen again."

 

"We're not the goa'uld," Sam said. "We're fighting them. We're helping—"

 

"SILENCE! I have no desire to hear your lies." He pushed her head down, exposing the back of her neck. "This is all the proof I need."

 

In an instant, Sam realized just what he was talking about. Even though it had been weeks since she'd been possessed by Jolinar, some physical signs remained. Most noticeable of which was the small lump of scar tissue cause by the remains of the symbiote as her body worked to absorb it. "God! It's dead!" she yelled. "It's dead. It doesn't control me! I'm not a goa'uld!"

 

Rachon snorted. "Of course you are not. You and your pet Jaffa are merely guiding the Tau'ri."

 

"They're my teammates. I'm not a goa'uld. I don't control them."

 

"You will never enslave anyone again," he declared.

 

He pulled a knife from a sheath a his belt and Sam felt her stomach drop. "Rachon—"

 

He motioned at his friends and one of them pushed her face down onto the ground. She tried to get her arms under her so that she could have some leverage as she tried to fight. She tried to roll to her back, to get her legs free for some sort of defense. She yelled and screamed, hoping for a miracle. Someone leaned heavily upon her back, forcing the air from her lungs. "As my father did before me, I banish the demon!" A searing pain tore through the back of her neck and Sam screamed again.

 

The knife sliced through her flesh and she felt hot blood spilling down her neck.

 

Abruptly, the weight on her back was gone and she scrambled to her feet, not thinking past her need to get away. Her feet tangled in the rope still tied to her hands and she fell. Ignoring the pain, she got to her feet and tried to run. She stumbled down the trail, paying little attention to anything but the primal need to run.

 

Someone yelled at her, chasing her down the trail. Panicking and desperate, she struggled to breathe as she ran, her breath coming in choked gasps. Something grabbed her arm, pulling her off balance and she fell. She rolled to face her attacker, her arms held up protectively as she tried to kick.

 

"Carter! Carter!" Someone grabbed her arms and gave her a shake, one hand slapping her gently. "Come on, focus!"

 

The familiar voice penetrated her panic and she finally realized who was holding her arms. "Colonel?"

 

"Yeah. You with me now?"

 

"Uh, huh." She tried to nod, stopping when it hurt.

 

He stared at her for a few seconds, then he pulled his knife from his belt. Despite herself, she flinched, shrinking away from him. "I’m just gonna get those ropes off," he said. "You okay with me doing that?"

 

"Yeah." She forced herself to relax. She knew that he wouldn't hurt her, rationally. Her rational mind was just taking a bit of time off was all.  Her hands started to shake and she looked down, trying to make them stop. "Sorry," she muttered, feeling him tighten his grip on her hands so that he wouldn't cut her.

 

"I'll let you know when you have something to be sorry for," he said, finally freeing her hands.

 

"Jack?" Sam heard Daniel's voice over the colonel's radio.

 

"I'm about thirty yards down the trail," the colonel said, still looking at her. "I've got Carter and she's gonna be okay." He released the radio and reached for her pack. "I need to put a band aid on that scratch of yours."

 

She tried to nod again, instinctively raising her hand towards her neck. "Aah." He stopped her. "Your hands are dirty. I'll take care of it." He moved behind her and she couldn't help but flinch when his fingers brushed her neck. "You're okay," he said gently. "You're gonna be okay."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

"You're gonna be okay," Jack repeated, more to reassure himself than anything else. She had to be okay. He really wasn't in the mood for any other outcome. The gash on the back of her neck was nasty, deep enough that he could see some of the muscles and tendons. If she wasn't hurting now, she would be soon, as the shock wore off.

 

She'd also lost a fair amount of blood, the whole side of her neck was stained and he was sure that her t-shirt and jacket were soaked.

 

He did his best to bandage the wound, but it was still bleeding, a dark, sluggish line trickled down her back. What it needed was a pressure bandage, but there was really no way to use one without strangling her. He heard the rustle of footsteps and felt her tense. "It's just Daniel and Teal'c," he reassured.

 

She relaxed just a bit and Jack looked up, watching Daniel and Teal'c jog towards them.

"Sam! Are you okay?" Daniel asked, kneeling beside her.

 

"She's gonna be fine," Jack said, looking Daniel in the eyes, silently telling his friend that she wasn't to hear anything but positive things.

 

"We should not tarry here," Teal'c said.

 

"We heard voices," Daniel explained. "I think the group that split off heard the commotion."

 

Jack muttered a curse. He'd been afraid of that. Best case scenario, they'd have been able to rescue Sam without a fight. But this hadn't been the best case. In fact, about the only thing that kept it from being the worst case was that Sam was alive – unlike her captors who were all dead.

 

Jack could feel Sam start to shake and realized that she was going into shock. Which was another reason that they couldn't stay here.

 

"They're going to expect us to run for the gate," he said. "Which means we'll probably run right into an ambush. Teal'c, we need someplace to lay low." Jack looked at his watch. "We're due to check in in three hours."

 

"It'll be dark by then," Daniel said.

 

Jack nodded. "We'll either use the cover of darkness or we'll make radio contact with Hammond when he dials the gate and call for some Marines."

 

"I shall return as soon as possible," Teal'c said, nodding at Jack before he vanished down the trail.

 

"Daniel, let's find a spot off the highway," Jack said, motioning for his friend to help him with Carter. Both of them got to their feet and helped Sam stand up and Jack let Daniel remain at her side and support her, which also allowed Jack to have his hands – and weapon – free.

 

They made their way off the trail and into the trees, trying to take care to leave as little signs as possible. The last thing he wanted was to have to fight his way off the planet. He didn't regret killing Rachon and the other two. It was them or Carter, and Jack would choose Carter – or any other member of his team – over aliens any day of the week. But he knew that they'd also just lost their negotiations. And their access to this planet's resources. And those resources were just what the SGC was supposed to be securing.

Which basically made their mission a failure. And Jack didn't take failure well.

 

 

 

It took Teal'c nearly an hour to find a shallow cave for them to shelter in. It was about two miles from the attack site and Jack hoped that it was far enough away to give them some protection. "Daniel, fire us up some sterno and scare up something warm to drink," he ordered as soon as they were settled. Sam sank down against a wall and Jack fought the temptation to hover. She hadn't said a word in the past hour and he was starting to think that it was more than shock that was keeping her quiet.

 

He motioned for Teal'c to join him and the two of them moved a few yards away. "What do you think the chances are of us making it to the gate without engaging these people?" Jack asked.

 

"I find it highly unlikely that we will be able to attain the Stargate unmolested," Teal'c said.

 

"Yeah, figured that." Jack sighed and took off his hat, scratching his head.  "I think we're going to have to wait for Hammond to send us some help."

 

"Waiting may not be our best option," Teal'c said. "I am concerned about Captain Carter."

 

"She's just a little shook up," Jack said. "Hopefully a warm drink will steady her a bit. We'll probably need to cover her on the way back to the gate though."

 

"That is not of which I speak," Teal'c said. "Rachon attempted to excise the remains of Jolinar of Malkshur."

 

Jack sighed. "She didn't say so, but I'm guessing. If they wanted to kill her…slicing up the back of her neck isn't the best way."

 

"That is my fear. O'Neill, Captain Carter's life may be in grave danger."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Did you notice if the remains of the symbiote had been disturbed by Rachon's attack?"

 

Jack shook his head. "I was more worried with whether he'd damaged her spine or hit an artery. Why?"

 

"The blood of a symbiote is not compatible with that of a host or a Jaffa," he said. "In fact, if a Jaffa displeases his goa'uld master, one method of execution is to crush the symbiote within the Jaffa's womb and prohibit the Jaffa from removing it. The blood from the crushed symbiote will poison the Jaffa from within."

 

"Carter's not a Jaffa," Jack reminded needlessly.

 

"Of this, I am aware. However, she does carry the remains of a symbiote within her body."

 

"And Frasier said that she was absorbing it and that it'd be no issue."

 

"And it may not be. However, I know of no more painful way for a Jaffa to die," Teal'c said.

 

"So, you're telling me if Rachon managed to cut into what's left of that symbiote that's in Carter, she could be dying right now?" Jack said.

 

"It is possible. However, it is also possible that the blood of a symbiote does not have the same effect upon a host."

 

Jack sighed again. "I can't do anything beyond getting her back as fast as we can."

 

"Of that I am aware," Teal'c repeated.

 

"Okay. We'll rest here for a bit, then we'll go scout, see how close we can get to the gate when Hammond calls." He shrugged. "I don't think there's anything else we can do for the time being."

 

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

Daniel held out he mug of chocolate, concerned that his friend had been rather quiet since they'd found her. She was sitting against the wall, her legs drawn up and her gaze focused unseeingly on the far wall. "Hey." Daniel touched her arm gently. "Hey," he said again, trying to get her to acknowledge him. She finally looked at him and he picked up one hand and pressed the mug into it, keeping his grip until he saw her tighten her fingers and take hold of the mug. "Let me get you some drugs," he said, noticing her wince as she took a sip of the cocoa.

 

He retrieved a packet of ibuprofen out of his pack and tore it open, handing the pills to her. "Are you okay?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"We'll be home in no time," he said, trying to reassure her. He'd never seen her this shaken up. "Although I have a funny feeling that Janet will make you spend the night in the infirmary. But I can talk to Jack and Teal'c and we can smuggle you in some pizza, maybe even ice cream."

 

"They were going to kill me," she said softly. She looked at Daniel. "They thought I was a goa'uld and they were going to kill me."

 

"Well, they didn't," he said. "And they're not going to. General Hammond will open the gate and we'll go home and everything will be fine."

 

Sam closed her eyes and set down her nearly full mug. "I'm tired," she said.

 

Daniel picked up the mug and moved it out of the way. He took off his jacket and rolled it up as a pillow. "Why don't you take a nap," he suggested. "I'll wake you up when we're ready to start back to the gate."

 

With an uncharacteristic meekness, she laid down and curled up on her side, seemingly asleep within minutes.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Sam moaned softly, muttering under her breath. Teal'c tensed and gently laid his hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. They were within sight of the Stargate, hiding in a small copse of trees. O'Neill and Daniel Jackson were a distance away, also seeking shelter amongst the flora of the planet.

 

They had waited in the cave for a couple of hours, O'Neill and Daniel Jackson keeping watch while Captain Carter slept and Teal'c himself meditated to allow his symbiote to heal him. Finally, close to planetary dawn, General Hammond had dialed the gate and they had made radio contact, setting up a time for reinforcements to come through.

 

Teal'c awoke from his meditation, refreshed and healed. However, the same could not be said of Captain Carter. The woman was in a near delirious state, restless but not cognizant of her surroundings. Teal'c feared that her illness was a result of the contamination of her blood by that of the symbiote.

 

Despite being recently injured, he was still the strongest of the group, thus when they made the decision to move closer to the chappai, he had been charged with carrying Captain Carter and safeguarding her until General Hammond sent reinforcements or until they could gain access to the chappai themselves.

 

Carter calmed and Teal'c removed his hand, instead checking her brow. Her skin was hot to the touch and he knew that they did not have the luxury of time. He did not know if Doctor Frasier possessed the knowledge to assist her, but whatever the doctor could do was far more than they could themselves.

 

"Kartena."

 

Teal'c looked at Captain Carter, caught off guard. "Captain Carter?"

 

"Kartena. Saleba. Juna. Kareva. Maresa."

 

Teal'c frowned, recognizing some of the names. "Captai—"

 

"Teal'c?"

 

"Yes, O'Neill."

 

"The gate is clear."

 

"I understand."

 

Teal'c abandoned his questioning and picked up the woman, cradling her as gently as he could. He slowly made his way towards the chappai, his senses tuned to eluding any pursuit. As near as he could determine, the other members of Rachon's party had yet to discover their trail. However, Teal'c could not be certain. And he could not allow Captain Carter to fall into their hands again. He had failed to keep her safe once, he could not fail again.

 

The chappai loomed through the trees and Teal'c permitted himself a small sigh of relief. His mission was nearly accomplished.

 

He caught sight of O'Neill and Daniel Jackson both waiting just at the edges of the clearing where the chappai was.

 

"I’m not seeing any movement," O'Neill said softly as soon as Teal'c joined them. "Daniel and I have circled the clearing."

 

"How is she?" Daniel Jackson asked.

 

"The same," Teal'c said, choosing not to mention the woman's delirious words. There was nothing that they could do to assist her beyond what they were doing now.

 

"Hammond should be dialing the gate any minute," O'Neill said. "SG-3 will come through, secure the gate and then dial home. Once they have contact, we'll follow and blow this popsicle stand". A few minutes later, the chappai opened and O'Neill tensed, shifting his grip on his weapon.

 

As Teal'c watched, four members of SG-3 stepped out of the Stargate. Three took defensive positions while the fourth made his way to the DHD. "SG-3 niner to SG-1 niner. Do you read?"

 

"Five by five," O'Neill answered. "We're at your five o'clock in the tree line."

 

"Affirmative. We're dialing Earth now." The Stargate disengaged and the Marine immediately dialed Earth. Teal'c watched the gate snap open then the Marine enter his iris code. "Door's open," Colonel Makepeace said.

 

"Ready or not, here we come," O'Neill gestured and the three of them left the cover of the trees. They made their way across the clearing, expecting with each step to be challenged or attacked.

 

Much to Teal'c's relief, they made it to the chappai unmolested. He carefully carried Sam through the Stargate, telling himself that Doctor Frasier would know how to help his teammate.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Sam slowly opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling as her mind struggled to process the information. She recognized where she was. For better or worse, she was very familiar with the SGC's infirmary. What she could not figure out, however, was just how she'd gotten here.

 

She heard a noise and turned her head, gasping as pain shot down her spine. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she waited for the pain to fade. "Sam?" a cool hand picked up her wrist and felt for her pulse. "Are you in pain?" Another hand felt her forehead as if checking for a fever.

 

"It hurts," Sam finally said, forcing her eyes to open.

 

"Now that you're awake I can up your pain meds," Janet said, smiling down at her. 

"Other than that, how do you feel?"

 

"Just tired," Sam answered. "And thirsty."

 

Janet poured some water into a plastic cup and manipulated the bed controls, helping Sam to sit up. She held the cup and Sam took a few sips of water. "Let's take it slow," she said, pulling the cup away. "It's been a little while."

 

Sam started to nod, then changed her mind. "How long is a little while?" she asked, taking stock of her fuzzy feeling head, her empty stomach and the gummy coating in her mouth.

 

"You've been pretty out of it for the past week," the doctor said. "You were awake a few times, but I don't know how lucid you were."

 

"A week?" Sam frowned. "For a little cut on the neck."

 

"Little is a relative term," Frasier said. "If that knife had gone a little deeper, there would have been some serious damage. As it is, I'll be surprised if there's no nerve damage."

 

"And?" Sam asked, knowing that there was something the doctor wasn't telling her.

 

"The reason you were so sick…Sam, do you remember the man who attacked you?"

 

"Rachon….he tried to cut it out," Sam said slowly, her hand straying towards her neck, lingering over the thick pad of bandages.

 

Janet nodded. "When he did that, he cut into the remains of the symbiote. According to Teal'c – and your illness confirms it – the blood of a symbiote is poisonous to the host."

 

"I've been poisoned?"

 

"Not quite." Janet reassured her. "Since you were a host and since Jolinar has been dead for quite a while, the symbiote's blood wasn't quite as toxic as it could have been. But it was still powerful enough to make you one very sick woman."

 

"What else?" Sam pressed.

 

"Nothing else," Janet promised. "Now that you're awake, I want to draw another blood sample. Then I'm going to order you some food, and then I'm going to tell three very worried guys the good news." Janet gave Sam's arm a reassuring squeeze, then left her

alone.

 

Her mind still trying to process that she'd lost a week, Sam closed her eyes and settled into a light doze, trusting in Janet to take care of her.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

"This is…something I kinda hoped I'd never see," Daniel said, instinctively breathing through his nose. Even that couldn't fully mask the stench. They were walking through the middle of a war zone. Or what he'd believed a war zone would look like.

 

They were surrounded by devastation. Burnt out husks of homes lined the narrow dirt street. Debris was strewn here and there, bits and pieces of peoples' lives abandoned and discarded. Amongst it all, was a few bodies, those that had obviously died where they'd fallen.

 

"It's something I've seen a few too many times," Jack said, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses.

 

Teal'c remained silent and Daniel looked to Jack, getting only a shrug in return. "Teal'c, any idea who these people were?" Jack asked.

 

"And why someone would attack them?" Daniel chimed in.

 

"People don't always need a reason," Jack muttered.

 

"This is a Jaffa encampment," Teal'c said, kneeling over one of the corpses. "Inhabited by women and children."

 

Daniel frowned. "Jaffa?"

 

"We're on a goa'uld planet?" Jack asked, raising his weapon.

 

"We are not," Teal'c looked up. "Not all Jaffa live on a goa'uld occupied world. Often, a goa'uld lacks the resources to feed and clothe any beyond his warriors. This often means that the families of warriors, those out of favor or those too weak to fight will live elsewhere. It is often a subsistence existence. And is often on worlds administered by a goa'uld even if they do not support it."

 

"If this is just a bunch of women and children and old people, why attack it?" Daniel asked.

 

"Terror," Jack said bluntly.

 

"It is indeed a demoralizing event," Teal'c said, getting to his feet.

 

Daniel saw the body of an armored Jaffa and moved towards it. Oddly enough it was lying neatly upon the ground, his hands lying at his side. There was no way he'd died like this. Someone had taken the time to arrange the body. "Teal'c, do you recognize his tattoo?"

 

Teal'c moved closer. "That is the brand of Cronos, Apophis' sworn enemy."

 

"He didn't die like that," Daniel said.

 

"Someone rearranged the body," Jack agreed.

 

"I thought Jaffa didn't care about the bodies of the dead?" Daniel asked.

 

"They do not," Teal'c said. "The body is but a shell for the spirit."

 

"So why would Cronos' Jaffa take time out of attacking this place to rearrange a body?" Jack asked.  
  


"Cronos did not attack this planet. This Jaffa bears the brand of Cronos and the mark of K'Tala."

 

"K'Tala?"

 

"He is the village administrator. These people were loyal to Cronos. Apophis is among Cronos' enemies."

 

"So, Apophis attacked Cronos' Jaffa?" Daniel asked.

 

"This attack could have been perpetrated by any one of a dozen system lords," Teal'c said. "The attack of villages such as this are often used to train young warriors."

 

"Isn't that special?" Jack said, sighing.

 

"Young warriors that distinguish themselves would often be permitted to partake of the captives."

 

"Partake?" Daniel asked, his eyebrows creeping up his forehead.

 

"It is a common practice even amongst the people of your planet, Daniel Jackson. The American Indians would often capture women from rival tribes to take as their mates."

 

"Liven up the gene pool, even if they didn't understand the specifics," Jack said.

 

"Or a primal drive to avoid inbreeding," Daniel said. "Even if it is morally reprehensible."

 

"Morals are relative," Jack said with a shrug. Jack looked over towards Teal'c. The man was walking through the remains of a hut, studying it intently. "Teal'c, I don't see any reason to hang around, do you?"

 

Teal'c didn't answer. Instead he bent down, picking something up out of the dirt. He held it in his hand, looking at it closely. "Teal'c!" Jack said, raising his voice.

 

Teal'c looked up, staring at them as if he'd totally forgotten where he was at. "O'Neill?"

 

"Is there any reason we should stay?" Jack repeated.

 

Teal'c shook his head, his fist closing over the item. "This planet is telak. Word will spread and no one will journey here for any reason but to scavenge, for many years."

 

"Then let's bag this one. I want to get back," Jack said.

 

"I thought hockey season was over?" Daniel asked, falling into step beside Jack as the three of them started towards the Stargate.

 

"Carter's physical is this afternoon," Jack said, referring to the test that was Sam's last obstacle before she could return to full duty.

 

She'd been home for the past three weeks, recovering from both the attack and subsequent fever that had nearly claimed her life. "Do you think she'll be okay?" Daniel asked.

 

"It's just a physical."

 

"But you said if she doesn't pass then she can't come back."

 

Jack shook his head. "She's already cleared for light duty. This is to clear her for field work."

 

Daniel nodded, remembering the physical requirements that he'd had to pass before General Hammond had allowed him to be permanently placed on SG-1. "You didn't answer my question," he reminded.

 

"She'll pass," Jack declared, staring Daniel in the eyes. "She will pass," he insisted.

Daniel let the subject drop, Jack's tone telling him all that he needed to know. Jack didn't think that she would pass. And Daniel didn't know what scared him more: the fact that Sam might not return to the team, or how Jack would handle Sam not returning to the team.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

"How's the pain?" Janet asked, gently exploring the wound on Sam's neck.

 

It was healing, but slower than Janet would have liked. Even though the stitches had been removed, the gash was still an angry red, contrasting dramatically with the normal paleness of Sam's skin.

 

A small bit at the bottom of the gash had been left open to allow the fluids to drain so there was an irregular scab there, something that Janet knew would take a few more weeks to totally heal.

 

"It's okay," Sam replied, giving just the answer that Janet expected.

 

"Define okay," Janet insisted. This was one downside of her job. Dealing with that pesky military bravado.

 

Not everyone had it. In fact, there were quite a few hypochondriacs and 'crybabies' on the base. Ones that would bemoan a paper cut and turn eighteen stitches into six month's leave. But they were a minority. Most of the personnel on the base were like Sam – and the rest of her team – to be honest. Folks that downplayed everything and usually ignored their own pain, especially if it got between them and getting back out into the field.

 

And that was one thing that Janet had to guard against. Those that would let their desire to get back to normal lead them to making bad choices. They may want to get out into the field and back to their team as quickly as possible. But it was her job to make sure that they were both physically and emotionally ready for the rigors of Stargate travel.

 

"It's sore," Sam said. "And it's annoying. And I don't even need to take the prescription pain pills any more."

 

"But you are taking something," Janet pressed, reading between the lines.

 

"Sometimes," Sam confessed, saving Janet the need to run a tox screen to get the truth.

 

"How often is sometimes?"

 

"A few times a day. Janet, I'm fine," Sam said, pulling away from her.

 

"Sam, I'm not the enemy," she said softly. "It's my job to make sure that you're ready to get back out there."

 

"I am."

 

"And that you're healthy enough to not be a danger to your team," she continued, ignoring the interruption. "If your neck hurts enough that you don't have a full range of movement, then we have a problem."

 

Sam stared at her for a few minutes. "It hurts," she said softly. "No matter what I take, it hurts."

 

"Then start taking the script."

 

"They don't work. Janet, I take them and it still hurts. No matter what it do, it hurts."

 

Janet picked up a tone of desperation in Sam's voice and she moved around to look her in the eyes. Her expression was drawn and Janet could see shadows under her eyes. "When was the last time you slept?" she asked.

 

"This morning."

 

"I mean longer than half an hour at a time," Janet clarified. Sam didn't answer right away and Janet sighed. "You should have said something."

 

"And end up back down here?" Sam's voice was bitter, and more than a little resentful.

 

"No, you end up not in pain."

 

"If the prescription you gave me doesn't make the pain go away, what will?"

 

"There are stronger drugs, even some compound narcotics—"

 

"I can't be on duty when I'm high," Sam interrupted.

 

"And you can't perform your duty when you're too sleep deprived to think straight," Janet shot back. She calmed the tone of her voice, hoping to reason with the woman instead of ordering her. "You don't like the infirmary, I can deal with that. I'll give you a shot to help you with the pain and we'll find one of the VIP rooms. You can sleep it off in there. Then, once you're awake, we'll run some tests. See if we can find out why the drugs don't work. If we can find out why, we can figure out something that will work."

 

"Okay," Sam agreed.

 

"I'll be right back." Janet left her alone and retreated into the small pharmacy. She checked out and signed off on a dose of morphine, then made her way back to Sam, motioning for the woman to follow her.

 

Together, they walked to one of the VIP rooms and Janet waited while Sam took off her boots.

 

"This should take effect in just a few minutes," she said as Sam rolled up her sleeve.

"And it should knock you out for a good eight hours." She gave her the shot and then motioned for Sam to lie down. "I'll start doing some research while you sleep," she promised. "I'm going to have one of the nurses check in on you every once in a while. If we're lucky, by the time you wake up, I'll have figured this out and everything will be just fine."

 

Much to her relief, Sam simply closed her eyes and fell asleep. Janet waited for a few minutes, then pulled a small coverlet off the shelf, laying it over the sleeping woman. She left the door, quietly closing the door behind her.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

"It was a massacre, General."

 

"It looked like an aerial bombardment."

 

Teal'c let his attention wander, his mind sliding back to the planet. This was not the first such event that he had witnessed. As much as he knew it disturbed O'Neill and Daniel Jackson, attacks such as that were quite common amongst Jaffa. In fact, Teal'c himself had participated in many such raids during his time with Apophis.

 

"Teal'c?" He looked up, noticing the other occupants of the room staring at him.

"Hammond's willing to send a couple of teams to clean up the planet," O'Neill said, obviously repeating what Teal'c had missed.

 

"That will not be necessary," Teal'c said. "Word will no doubt spread and anyone that is found could be seen as the perpetrators of the attack. It would not be wise to be there now."

 

"But, Teal'c, all those bodies—"

 

"Jaffa do not view remains the same way as the Tau'ri. Once a person's soul has departed, the body is but an empty shell."

 

"Really?" Daniel Jackson asked, leaning forward.

 

"Indeed."

 

"That's an interesting concept. Warrior cultures usually have the most complex funerary rites."

 

"The offer is still open, Teal'c, if you change your mind," General Hammond said, ignoring Daniel Jackson's interruption.

 

"As you wish," Teal'c said. He had no desire to accept the man's offer, but did not want to offend by being more assertive in his denial.

 

General Hammond got to his feet. "Colonel, we will discuss that other topic later today. Dismissed." The man retreated into his office.

 

"Other topic?" Daniel Jackson asked, gathering his papers.

 

"Carter's replacement. Temporary replacement," he clarified as a dark expression crossed Daniel Jackson's face.

 

"Janet didn't clear her?" Daniel Jackson asked as the three of them left the briefing room.

 

"Guess not. Hammond didn't go into details."

 

Daniel Jackson looked at him. "So you're going to get them from Janet. I'm going with you."

 

O'Neill nodded. "Teal'c, you coming?"

 

"Forgive me, O'Neill. I wish to return to my quarters." Teal'c separated from his teammates, gratefully entering the seclusion of his quarters. Once there, he sat down upon the bed and drew a small item out of his pocket. The tiny pendant dangled from a finely wrought chain, glinting in the dim light.

 

The symbol of Cronos hung from the chain. It was crafted in gold and had once been delicately enameled. The gold was worn smooth and bits of the enamel were chipped.

The chain showed signs of being repaired at least twice. It looked like a piece of adornment that had been constantly worn for years.

 

It looked so different from the last time he'd seen it.

 

_"Do not wake her," Mother admonished, looking at him from her place by the fire. She had a long handled spoon in her hand and was stirring a stew cooking in a pot hanging over the flames._

_"I will not," Teal'c said, his eyes riveted upon the tiny figure lying in the basket. The baby was swaddled in blankets, one tiny hand visible by her face. He reached in and took her hand, smiling when she tightened her grip, her fingers wrapping around one of his._

_She knew him. Even though she was just a few moons old, she knew him. She knew her brother. Knew that he would protect and defend her._

_It was his duty after all. His honor – as first born – to act in his father's stead to protect and care for his mother and sister._

_T'Resa frowned in her sleep and spit up, a small amount of whitish fluid dribbling out of the corner of her mouth. Teal'c picked up a corner of the blanket and wiped it off. She often did this after she ate. His mother even said that Teal'c had done the same, a fact that he found hard to believe._

_"Leave T'Resa alone," Mother said as she served two bowls of stew. "It is time to eat."_

_Teal'c carefully extracted his finger and obediently followed his mother's instruction. He sat down and picked up his spoon, barely waiting for it to cool before shoveling stew into his mouth._

_"When will father return?" he asked._

_Mother smiled. "Your father will return when he has completed the tasks Cronos has given him," she replied, giving the answer that he expected. Around her neck, a pendant glittered in the fire light. He knew that Father had given it to her. A bonding gift and a pledge of his feelings. She never took it off._

_"But when is that?" he pressed._

_"If I could predict that, I would be a Seer and would give my gift to our Lord Cronos," she answered, smiling._

_"Seers live in the palace. Could we live in the palace?"_

_"We shall live in the home that your father has earned for us," she said. "And you should eat the food that he has provided."_

_Teal'c ate more of his stew, thinking of what he would do when his father returned._

_Perhaps they would fish. His father had promised that once; that they would go down to the river and catch fish for the evening meal._

_He really wanted to go hunting, but he feared that his father would not permit this. The forests were much too wild and Father often said that he would not allow Teal'c to hunt until after he had received his primta._

_Teal'c ate the last of his stew, carefully scraping the bowl clean. Just as he stood up, the door burst open and his mother screamed, jumping to her feet._

_She grabbed the knife off the table and held it before her, only lowering it when she recognized the intruder. T'Resa, startled from sleep, started to cry and Teal'c moved closer, picking her up from her crib. He was the male, he should have the knife. But he knew that he was still too small. So he would care for T'Resa._

_"R'ikon, how dare you burst—"_

_"Sancha, forgive me, but there is not much time," he interrupted. He reached out and took her hand. "Ronak is dead."_

_Teal'c's stomach dropped and he stared at his father's friend, wondering if this was some horrible jest._

_"NO!" his mother said, shaking her head. "Ronak is completing a task for Lord Cronos."_

_"Ronak died by Cronos' own hand." Mother faltered and R'ikon reached out, supporting her as he guided her to sit down. "Cronos bid Ronak to take one of Nirti's planets. He failed this task so Cronos—"_

_"No!" mother shook her head, bringing her hands up to cover her ears as if not hearing the words would keep them from being true. "You are mistaken."_

_"You know that I am not," R'ikon said, gently pulling her hands down. "You must leave."_

_"No."_

_"Sancha, Cronos declared Ronak a traitor. A detail will soon be here to take you and your children to the palace."_

_"Why?"_

_"Sancha, he wants to make an example of you. To show other Jaffa the price of failure. He will kill you, and your children."_

_"No." Mother moaned, reaching out to pull Teal'c and T'Resa close to her._

_"Yes," R'ikon said. "You must flee, now!"_

_"Mama?" Teal'c asked, seeking her guidance._

_She stared at him for several seconds before taking T'Resa from him. "Go, gather your belongings," she ordered. "Just what you can fit in a satchel."_

_"But father—"_

_"Your father would want us to survive. And that is what we shall do." She got to her feet, her grief replaced by determination._

_Teal'c hurried to do as he was bade, shoving his few possessions into a soft-sided basket that his mother thrust at him._

_T'Resa cried as Mother laid her down, needing both hands to pack. "Where shall we go?" she asked, folding up her clothing and T'Resa's into another basket._

_"I know of a planet—"_

_"But will Cronos not find us?" Teal'c asked. "He is a god. Surely he will know where we have gone."_

_R'ikon smiled and knelt down, laying his hand on Teal'c's shoulder. "He may know but he will be unable to harm you there." R'ikon looked up. "It is an outpost of Apophis."_

_"He will kill us!" Mother protested._

_"Apophis will not know who you are. Nor will he care about one woman and her child."_

_"You mean children," Teal'c corrected, pointing at T'Resa._

_"R'ikon?"_

_"Permit me to care for T'Resa for you," he said, standing up._

_"No. My baby!"_

_"Is fragile. Ronak worried greatly about her. This outpost of Apophis' is very rustic. Life will be a challenge. However, it is the only way to keep you from Cronos' grasp."_

_"I will not abandon my daughter!" She reached down and took the baby from Teal'c, clutching her tightly to her breast._

_"Sancha, please understand. Once Cronos realizes that you are gone, he will spread word amongst his worlds. People will search for a woman, a boy and an infant. But if you and Teal'c are on a plant of Apophis, Cronos cannot search there."_

_"Then we shall bring T'Resa with us."_

_"And likely lose her to fever. I know a woman in the next village whose daughter perished just days ago. She still has milk. She will take the child as hers and none shall know that this is a child of Ronak's blood."_

_Mother shook her head, clutching T'Resa even closer. "My daughter—"_

_"Sancha, this is the only way to insure that all three of you survive. You must give her to me." She hesitated. "I swear to you upon my own son's life, I shall guard her and I shall keep her safe. And if I ever have doubts, I shall bring her to you."_

_Sancha closed her eyes and for the first time in his life, Teal'c watched his mother cry. Her hold loosened and R'ikon took T'Resa from her, cradling the infant carefully in his warrior's arms._

_"You must hurry," he urged gently._

_Tears still streaming down her face, mother reached up and took the pendant from around her neck. She put it around T'Resa, carefully tucking in the ends of the too long chain. "So that she will always know who she is," Mother said, her voice choked with tears. She took a breath and dashed the fluid from her face. "Teal'c, come and say farewell to your sister while I finish."_

_Teal'c stepped forward as she moved back. He looked at R'ikon. "I shall protect her with my life, just as you will protect your mother."_

_Teal'c nodded, reaching out to take T'Resa's hand. Her fingers curled over his and her fussing quieted. Teal'c stared at her, committing her features to memory. Her short, dark hair, her deep brown eyes and tiny hands. The tiny birthmark underneath her left ear. The firelight glinted off the gold around her neck, the only legacy that she would take with her._

_"I am ready," Mother said, standing proudly in the doorway._

_R'ikon got to his feet and opened the door, ready to lead them to the chappai and safety._

 

 

"T'Resa," he whispered, caressing the battered gold pendant in his fingers.

 

She was alive. By some miracle of fate or circumstance, she was alive.

 

Or had been alive. The thought rushed in and pushed his incredulous joy aside with the undeniable force of fear.

 

They had not found any survivors. Yet, there had to have been some. Someone had arranged the body of the fallen Jaffa as a gesture of respect. But were they still on the planet? Or would they have fled through the chappai?

 

He had to know. Perhaps there were survivors still on the planet that had hidden from them. Or perhaps there was a sign telling him where the refugees had fled.

 

In either case, he had to know. He had to have answers. And he would not find them here.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

With his lunch carefully balanced on the tray in his hands, Daniel made the short walk across the commissary to join Jack. As he sat down, he smiled at the sight of Jack reading a sporting magazine camouflaged inside an empty personnel folder.

 

"You do know that General Hammond thinks you're going over personnel files," he said as he picked up his fork and took a bit of his food.

 

"Hammond's a big boy. He can think what he wants," Jack replied with a shrug.

 

"What he wants, I believe, is for you to choose someone to take Teal'c's place. And you still haven't found someone to fill in for Sam." Daniel knew that, in a way, he was sticking his nose in where it didn't belong. But he also knew that the General was getting frustrated with the delay.

 

Then again, so was Daniel. They hadn't been off world in over two weeks, since the mission where they'd discovered the massacre.

 

"Hammond has an issue with me, he can take it up with me," Jack said defensively.

 

"Jack, I don't mean it that way."

 

"I know you don't," Jack said. "I'll pick out a replacement when I'm ready," he said sincerely.

 

"When you're ready?" Daniel asked, picking up on Jack's choice of words.

 

"Shockingly enough, I have my reasons."

 

Daniel frowned, trying to figure out just what Jack meant. "If what Janet says is true, Sam may not be able to come back to work for weeks, maybe more."

 

"I know," Jack answered. "And her spot is going to be waiting for her when she's able."

 

"Okay, what about Teal'c?"

 

Jack sighed. "Teal'c made his choice," he said. He put down the magazine. "And Hammond's right, I need to replace him."

 

"I never thought he'd leave," Daniel said. "At least not until we'd actually made some progress in the whole 'free the Jaffa' thing."

 

"I didn't either," Jack replied.

 

"I mean, when he did that whole 'swearing my loyalty' bit, I thought it was permanent."

 

"So did I," Jack said, taking a sip of his coffee.

 

"Are those the candidates?" Daniel asked, nodding towards the pile of real personnel folders on the table. Jack nodded. "Who are they?"

 

Daniel picked one up and Jack pulled it out of his hand. "There's personal stuff in there," he said.

 

"Right," Daniel agreed. "Can I just know their names?"

 

Jack shrugged. "Here's Johnson." He laid one folder in a separate pile.

 

"SG-3?"

 

"Yep."

 

Daniel shrugged. "He wasn't too bad, once he got over that whole homicidal rage thing," he said, referring to events of just a year prior when, affected by the 'caveman virus' Johnson had attempted to strangle Teal'c across the briefing room table.

 

"He's a Jarhead," Jack dismissed.

 

"Jar…oh right, Marines. What's wrong with Marines?" Jack raised his eyebrow and shook his head.

 

"If you have to ask…Simmons is next. Not the lieutenant, thank goodness." Jack opened the folder. "But his bulkier but dumber separated at birth brother."

 

"Excuse me?" Daniel asked.

 

"Sergeant Michael Simmons. Whose record isn't too bad if you ignore the three reprimands for excessive force."

 

"Forceful is good."

 

"We don't need bullies on a first contact team." Simmons folder joined Johnson's in what Daniel presumed to be the reject file. "The next is Gonzalez."

 

"Kevin?" Jack looked at the folder and nodded. Daniel pulled the folder out of his hand and put it on the reject pile. "Every time I've overheard him in the gym, he's bragging about his latest conquest. We've done a lot of firsts, but I think we can pass on the world's first interplanetary paternity suit."

 

"Stokes?" Jack said, accepting Daniel's decision.

 

Daniel shrugged. "Nice guy from what I hear."

 

"Great."

 

"And I think he's one of the few guys on this base that can look Janet in the eyes."

 

Over the course of the next ten minutes, the pair of them managed to dismiss every one of the candidates. "You know, I was hoping to spend all afternoon doing this," Jack said.

Daniel grimaced. "The general's not going to be very happy."

 

"It's not my fault that there's not anyone suitable in here."

 

"What exactly are you looking for?"  
  


"A two hundred pound Jaffa that can kick ass, take names and has a near encyclopedic knowledge of snakeheads."

 

"I don't think you're gonna have much luck." Jack shrugged and Daniel frowned. "Why don't you care?" he asked.

 

"Huh?"

 

"Normally when we're stuck on base, you develop cabin fever so bad General Hammond's threatened to have you sedated. Right now you're calm, eerily calm."

 

"I just don't mind the downtime," Jack said, gathering the folders.

 

Daniel frowned, staring at Jack for a few seconds. "Of course, you know, if we don't replace Teal'c, we stay stood down and we stay on the base…which is where Sam is," he said slowly, adding up two and two and wondering if he wasn't working his way up to five.

 

"In the grand scheme of things, I think Carter needs us more than the galaxy," Jack said softly.

 

"Yeah," Daniel agreed. "So, how long will it take to find someone?"

 

Jacks shrugged. "Few weeks maybe. Or, at least as long as Hammond will let me get away with NOT choosing someone."

 

"Well, before I go and find some vital translations that just HAVE to be done, what do you think about us grabbing Sam some lunch and checking up on her?"

 

"That is probably the best idea you've had all day," Jack said.

 

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

Sam heard a rustle behind her and she choked back a grin, sighing silently to herself. "I'll be done in a few more minutes, sergeant," she said, refusing to look over her shoulder at Sergeant Harriman.

 

"That's okay, Captain," he said, standing awkwardly behind her. She knew she'd evicted him in a way, but his work-station was the one she needed to use at the moment. She'd spent a good chunk of the past two weeks working on fixes to the dialing program and she was ready to upload the new code. Unfortunately, Harriman's work-station was the only one that had access to the dialing computer, so, to get her job done, she had to basically take over his work space.

 

Something that she knew bugged the man.

 

"Sergeant, if you want, I can keep an eye on things here. You can go and get some coffee or something and I'll be finished in about ten minutes," she offered, just as much to get him something to do as to get herself some peace. She knew he meant well, but his kite eating tree imitation was quickly getting on her nerves.

 

"That's okay, ma'am. I'm fine." She heard him sit down and he claimed a chair at another work-station.

 

Sam continued typing, cursing under her breath when she mistyped some words and had to start over. "Dammit." Damn her hand, damn her numb fingers, damn her crappy reflexes, she added silently.

 

"Ma'am?"

 

"Nothing," Sam bit out. She didn't need to go into detail for him. The last thing she needed was more pity or platitudes. "Sergeant, how about—"

 

Her request remained unsaid as the gate began to spin. "Incoming wormhole," he said, his voice tinged with a mix of excitement and dread.

 

"Who—"

 

"No one is scheduled for another hour," he interrupted.

 

"Get the general down here, I'm closing the iris."

 

The metal blades spun shut a few seconds before the wormhole opened, painting the back of the room with a shimmering blue light. "Report," Hammond said as he finished descending the stairs.

 

"Unscheduled gate activation," Harriman said.

 

"Who's out?"

 

"SG-3, 5 and 8," Sam said, pulling up the information.

 

"Get the defense teams down here."

 

"Sir, I'm getting an IDC, it's SG-5," Sam said, reading the information that scrolled across her monitor.

 

"Open the iris."

 

Sam followed his order and the iris spun open, revealing the watery event horizon of the wormhole. Within a minute, the four members of SG-5 slurped through the gate, two of them supporting a fifth person.

 

"What the hell?" Harriman muttered.

 

"That's Teal'c," Sam said, recognizing the bulky form supported by the two men. The gate snapped shut as the two men laid Teal'c down on the ramp.

 

"Get medical down there," Hammond ordered. He left the control room and Sam followed, Harriman's call to the infirmary chasing her down into the gateroom.

 

"Major?" Hammond asked. "What's going on?"

 

"I'm not sure, sir," Major Coburn said, handing off his weapon to the weapons officer. "We were checking out P5X374 and we found him."

 

"Found him?" Sam asked. She'd hurried past Hammond and knelt at Teal'c's side, checking his pulse. He was unconscious and covered in blood. It looked like he'd been beaten, and quite severely.

 

"He was strung up in the middle of a clearing," Lieutenant Baker said. "I'm gonna say that he was left there to die."

 

"There were vultures and other carrion animals circling," Coburn said. "Our guess is that someone beat the crap out of him, and then staked him out to either get eaten alive or to die of exposure. As it is, it looks like he's been out there for a couple of days."

 

Janet and her med team rushed in and Sam stepped back, forcing her common sense to override her instincts to stay near to and care for her ex-teammate. "Doctor?" Hammond asked.

 

"My ten second diagnosis," she said, her tone short. "I've got exposure, blood loss and god only knows what else. I need to get him to the infirmary and run some tests to get an accurate picture."

 

"Do it," Hammond ordered. The orderlies set about picking Teal'c up and placing him on the gurney. "Major Coburn, I need your report sooner rather than later." He looked for the leader of the defense team. "Sergeant, I need two of your men to escort Teal'c and he's to be under guard at all times."

 

"General," Sam protested.

 

"Captain, Teal'c left this facility. As such, he's no longer a member of the SGC. He is simply an alien guest, as such he will be under surveillance at all times," he said, his tone resolute. "Doctor Frasier, I need to know as soon as he's conscious. I need to know who attacked him and why."

 

"Yes, sir," Janet said, giving Sam an apologetic nod. She ushered her team out of the gateroom and towards the elevators. Sam moved to follow.

 

"Captain."

 

"Sir?"

 

"I believe that you still have work to do on the dialing computer. You may go check on Teal'c after that is done."

 

Sam felt her face flush under the man's censure. He was right, of course. She needed to get her programming done, they couldn't safely dial out without it. "Yes, sir," she said, catching one last glance of Teal'c before she returned to the control room.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Teal'c opened his eyes, for a few seconds wondering where he was. The familiar rough-cast ceiling of the infirmary swam into view and, for a moment, he wondered if he was dead.

 

Then sounds penetrated his fuzzy brain. The low hum of voices, the quiet beep of a heart monitor, the nearly silent swish of circulation fans. He was at the SGC. And he had no recollection of how he'd come to be here.

 

"Welcome back to the land of the living." He turned his head to see Doctor Frasier walking over to his bedside, a clipboard in her hands. "You've given me quite a workout the past few days."

 

"Doctor Frasier." His voice was rough and far too weak for his liking.

 

"You've had a rough time," she said. "Three broken ribs, some internal bleeding and a hairline skull fracture," she listed. "You were also suffering from exposure and blood loss and dehydration. Another day or so and I don't think Junior could have pulled you through."

 

Teal'c listened to her words, memories washing over him. He remembered now. Remembered the pain, remembered the fear. Remembered his own stupidity and ineptitude. "I've got some people that want to talk to you, if you feel up to it," Doctor Frasier said, handing him the controls so that he could raise the head of the bed.

 

"As you wish," Teal'c said. In reality, he did not quite feel like speaking, however he knew that it was something that needed to be done. Doctor Frasier nodded. "I'll call them." She poured him a cup of water and handed it to him. "You'll have a few minutes before they can get down here. Do you feel like something to eat?"

 

Teal'c nodded. He was indeed hungry. A well known side effect of his healing. In order to repair his injuries, he knew that his symbiote would take energy from Teal'c's own body and use that to replenish its own. Thus, the more a Jaffa and his Primta were stressed, the more food they required. "Food would be most appreciated."

 

"I'll get something sent down. Hopefully you'll have time to eat it before the general gets down here."

 

"Thank you," he said. "Doctor Frasier, I had upon me some items."

 

Doctor Frasier smiled and pulled open the drawer of the bedside table. She drew out a small bag. "This is the contents of your pockets." She handed the bag to him.

 

"Thank you." Teal'c held it in his hands, resisting the urge to tear it open in front of her.

Doctor Frasier smiled at him. "I'll go get that food ordered," she said. She vanished into her office, presumably ordering the promised nourishment. Teal'c tore into the bag and dumped the contents out on the bed, sighing with relief when his fingers closed over the one tiny item that he simply could not bear to lose.

 

 

 

As it turned out, it took General Hammond over an hour to make his way to the infirmary, and he did so with Captain Carter in tow. "General Hammond, Captain Carter," he acknowledged, his strength bolstered by a simple meal of soup and toast.

 

"Teal'c, it's good to see you awake," Captain Carter said.

 

"I've already heard from Doctor Frasier that you will make a full recovery," the general said. "Teal'c, I need to know where you've been for the past two months, and what brought you back here."

 

Teal'c nodded, he had been expecting this. "On my last mission with SG-1, we visited Kalana."

 

"Kalana?"

 

He looked at Captain Carter. "I believe you call it P3R293. O'Neill, Daniel Jackson and I came upon the remains of a massacre."

 

"I remember," Hammond said. "If I recall correctly, you told us to leave that planet and never return. I had it locked out of the dialing computer."

 

"I did so advise you. While we were there, I discovered this." Teal'c held up the golden necklace. He offered it to General Hammond who examined it then handed it off to Sam.

 

"It's beautiful. And it looks old," she observed.

 

"It is. It is the symbol of Cronos. My father Ronak gave it to my mother upon their Joining Day."

 

"The Jaffa equivalent of a wedding ring?" Hammond asked. Teal'c nodded.

 

"Teal'c, this could have belonged to anyone," Sam said, holding the necklace up.

 

"There are very few artisans that work with gold and even fewer Jaffa who own any," he said. "That is my mother's."

 

"But you were loyal to Apophis, how did this end up on Cronos' planet?"

 

"My father served as First Prime to Cronos. He was killed for failing a task given to him. My mother and I were to be executed as well, but we fled before Cronos could take us into custody. We sought refuge upon Apophis' planet and I later joined his army."

 

"So what? Was your mother visiting relatives?" Sam asked.

 

"My mother was murdered many years ago," Teal'c said.

 

"I'm confused, son," Hammond said.

 

"That necklace was my mother's. And it is an item I have not seen for many years. When my father was killed, I had not yet attained the Age of Prata. My mother and I were warned that Cronos wished to harm us, thus we fled with only a few possessions that we could carry. But we were not alone. A few moons prior to my father's death, my mother gave birth to a female child. My sister's name was T'Resa."

 

"You have a sister?"

 

"Why didn't you tell us this?" Hammond demanded.

 

"The last time I saw my sister, I was but a boy. My mother and I sought refuge in one of Apophis' most primitive outposts. T'Resa was very young and fragile. It was felt that she would not survive the rigors of the outpost. So she was fostered by a woman whose own infant has perished."

 

"They adopted her?"

 

"Indeed."

 

"And you never went back for her?"

 

"By the time I rose through the ranks and earned such a right, Apophis and Cronos were again at war. It lasted many decades," Teal'c said.

 

"How does this come into it?" Sam asked, holding up the necklace.

 

"I witnessed my mother place that necklace around T'Resa's neck with my own eyes."

 

"So, after you found that necklace, you went back to…"

 

"P3R293," Captain Carter supplied.

 

"Looking for her?" Hammond continued, acknowledging her input with a nod.

 

"I sought knowledge of her, yes."

 

"What did you find?" Hammond asked.

 

"I discovered the presence of several survivors who had sought shelter in the woods," Teal'c said. "Many of them had no knowledge of where the survivors would seek refuge." He sighed softly. "And, even if they had known, they would not share such knowledge with a sholva."

 

"Is that how you got hurt?" Sam asked, handing him back the necklace. He took it from her and looked at her, noticing that  her left hand was constantly moving, her thumb stroking her last two fingers. He didn't think she even realized that she was doing it.

 

"Yes," Teal'c answered her question.

 

"How'd you end up on P5X374?" Hammond asked.

 

Teal'c closed his eyes for a second, fighting the humiliation that burned in his chest. "The survivors believed that I was among those that perpetrated the attack upon their planet. They were most incensed. I fought with them and fled. However, I did not know that the planet upon which I sought refuge was also under Cronos' control. Those guarding the chappai apprehended me and held me in their custody. They…physically expressed their grief and anger," he said, refusing to go into detail about all that had happened.

 

"They were going to execute you in revenge?" Captain Carter said.

 

"Indeed."

 

"Are you trying to tell me that you've been a prisoner for the past two months?" General Hammond asked.

 

"No," Teal'c said. "Merely the past several days."

 

Hammond nodded. "I need to know what else happened while you were gone. Surely you didn't spend all that time searching one planet," Hammond said.

 

"I did not spend all of it on Kalana," Teal'c admitted. "I did discern a few locations from the survivors and I sought T'Resa there."

 

"Without having much luck, I'm guessing," Sam said.

 

"You guess correctly," Teal'c said. "All I could discover is the name of some planets to which the refugees traveled."

 

"If you have a name…"

 

"It is not that simple, General Hammond. The names I discovered were not the common names of the planets."

 

"How do you mean?" Sam asked.

 

"You call this planet Earth. Yet, amongst the rest of the galaxy, your planet is known as Tau'ri. If you say that you are from Earth, then few will know of which you speak. Yet, if you refer  to this planet as home of the Tau'ri, many will understand what you speak of."

 

"So, what you discovered were nicknames or code names," Captain Carter said. "Which only make sense if you know what they mean?"

 

"I believe so, yes."

 

"Any chance of finding out the meaning of these nicknames?" Hammond asked.

 

"They are known only to those loyal to Cronos," Teal'c answered. "And it is not knowledge that is freely shared."

 

Hammond sighed. "If I have this correct. You discovered that necklace. You believe that it belongs to your long lost sister. In order to search for her, you left the SGC and have spent the past two months searching several of Cronos' planets. While doing that, you ran afoul of some irate survivors who attacked you out of revenge."

 

"Yes," Teal'c confirmed.

 

"Why didn't you tell us about T'Resa?" Sam asked. "Why did you just leave?"

 

"You hold the fear that Ry'ac and Drey'auc can be used to compromise my loyalty. You will hold the same fear about T'Resa."

 

"It's not just that, Teal'c," Hammond said. "The fact that you left is a concern. In fact, the only thing in your favor at the moment is that you were BROUGHT back.  For all I know, this whole thing could be a set up and you could be back here doing the bidding of some System Lord and be ready to betray us all."

 

"I understand," Teal'c said. "And I have nothing to offer but my word that I am not involved in any subterfuge or acts of aggression towards the Tau'ri."

 

Hammond nodded. "For the time being, you will be allowed to remain. I will, however, request that you be escorted at all times. I also need a day by day accounting of your activities and travels. Captain Carter, I would like you to assist Teal'c. I want to know every planet that you have visited. Captain Carter will assist you in matching up your colloquial names to our star charts."

 

"Yes, sir," Sam said.

 

"Tell Sergeant Harriman to reassign Teal'c quarters and to reinstate his account at the PX. Once Doctor Frasier releases you, your access will be much the same as before, with the exception of the armory and the control room. I want that report in forty-eight hours." The older man spun on his heel and left the room, leaving Captain Carter alone with Teal'c.

 

"How about I go and get my laptop," Captain Carter offered. "You can talk, I can type and we'll have it done in no time."

 

"As you wish," Teal'c said, aware that he had little choice in the matter.

 

"It'll be okay," she said, smiling at him. "You can chill out for a bit and I'll be back in about half an hour."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

He looked tired, Sam decided, sitting beside Teal'c's bed, her computer balanced on her lap. More tired than she could ever recall seeing him. "You had a tough time, didn't you?"

 

"I now fully realize the boon O'Neill gave to me when he granted me sanctuary here," he said. "Outside the ranks of his master, a Jaffa will find little welcome." Sam glanced down, unable to really come up with anything to say.  "Where are O'Neill and Daniel Jackson?"

 

"They're on a mission with the rest of SG-1," she said. Teal'c frowned at her. "I'm not on the team anymore," she said. "The colonel tried to drag it out but eventually General Hammond made him choose replacements. Captain Lorne took my place, or maybe it was yours. And Doctor Mantranko took the fourth spot. He's a biologist which could work out really well with all the odd stuff you run into out there."

 

"I did not believe that you would ever leave the team," Teal'c said.

 

"I didn't really have a choice," she said. She held up her left hand. "There's nerve damage. I'm not fit for duty," she said, struggling to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

 

"Does your hand pain you?"

 

"What? Oh, no, not really." She rubbed her thumb against her ring and pinkie fingers. "It's kinda weird, they're both numb. I can see myself touching them, but I can't feel it." She held her hand up and turned it back and forth in front of her. "I even cut myself a few weeks ago and didn't even realize it until I saw the blood. I guess I can be glad that it's my left hand. My biggest issue has been typing, since I can't feel the keys, sometimes I have to look."

 

"You are in pain," he said, his intuition shocking her.

 

"It…it feels like someone has shoved a wire in my neck and down my arm," she said, more at ease talking about her injury with Teal'c than she had been with anyone else, even Janet. "And it's a rough wire so it's always irritating my arm and…it always hurts. No matter how I move it or how I twist it…it never stops hurting. Janet thinks that Rachon pinched some nerves and cut or damaged others. And the scar tissue isn't helping. Neither did the symbiote blood."

 

Teal'c nodded. "The pain prevents you from sleeping?"

 

"Yeah. The only way I can sleep more than a couple of hours at a time is if I take a very strong sedative. We think that's another side effect of the symbiote. Drugs that used to work on me don’t anymore. I don’t take the sleeping pills more than a couple of times a week. And usually it's here on base. It knocks me out so hard, I'm practically unresponsive for a good twelve hours."

 

"And that is what is preventing you from rejoining SG-1?"

 

"That and some stiffness in my neck. I can't pass the physical."

 

Teal'c nodded slowly. "As a Jaffa trains to become a warrior, they are taught many things. Among them, they are taught how to ignore injuries and pain."

 

"Ignore?"

 

"We are taught – through meditation – to not feel pain."

 

"I don't understand. How can you not feel?"

 

"It is difficult to explain. Our body may be damaged and our mind may feel the pain of the injury. Yet it does not…remember the pain," he said. "It is…as if one were to look at a sight, perhaps a temple. Then if one were to view it again, but this time through O'Neill's binoculars. Except that the image would not be perceived larger, rather smaller and further."

 

Sam nodded. "So, the injury could be sending out a pain message at…level twenty, but the brain only 'sees' it as level ten?" she said, trying to translate his idiom into something she could understand.

 

"Correct. I would like to attempt to teach this meditative technique to you," he offered.

 

"But I'm not Jaffa."

 

"Of that I am aware. However, I am confident that it will assist you."

 

"Assist me how?"

 

"If meditation can lower the level of pain that you feel, then perhaps it can eliminate your need for the drugs and you can return to active duty," he said.

 

Sam sighed, considering his idea. It sounded almost like a scam to her, something that just had to be too good to be true. If the best doctors and specialists on Earth couldn't help her, could an alien meditation really work?

 

Then again, what did she have to lose?

 

She smiled. "How about we concentrate on writing your report first. Then we'll see about the meditation."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Jack nodded to the SF and knocked on Teal'c's door, not waiting for an answer before he entered. The room was dark, lit only by the expected bank of candles. Teal'c was seated on the floor, his hands resting on his knees and his eyes closed.

 

Jack stood there for a few seconds, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to another before he impatiently cleared his throat, non-verbally demanding that Teal'c acknowledge him.

 

The man opened his eyes, calmly looking up. "O'Neill."

 

"Teal'c." Jack looked down at the man, instinctively searching for signs of his injuries even though he knew that they'd be well on their way to being healed by now. "You had a busy few weeks," Jack said, holding up the folder containing Teal'c's report. He and Hammond had spent the past couple of hours going over the report, the last thing Jack had wanted to do after a three day mission spent hiking, walking and watching Daniel go gaga over some rocks. "Searching the planet you told us to avoid, checking out a couple of dozen others, getting your ass kicked." Teal'c merely looked at him, refusing to take the bait. "Something that would not have happened had you, I dunno, maybe had someone with you to watch your back. You know, like a team maybe?"  
  


"Had I come to you and told you what I wished to search for, you would have denied my request," Teal'c said.

 

"You don't know that."

 

"Even if you and General Hammond had granted permission for me to explore Kalana, you would not have permitted me the necessary amount of time. Nor would you have permitted me to investigate the other planets that I have discovered. I do not regret the choices that I have made."

 

"Even though they almost got you killed?"

 

Teal'c smiled slightly. "I have faced death many times."

 

Jack sighed, accepting that it was just a waste of time to try and chastise someone totally unrepentant. "You should have told us," he said. "Even if we hadn't been able to go with you, we'd have still known why. In any case, Hammond has approved Carter working with you on this." Jack held up the folder. "He wants her and Daniel to try and reconcile these names with our database."

 

"If you do not believe my story, then why assist me?" Teal'c asked.

 

"These are goa'uld occupied worlds," Jack said, and evidentially hostile. Why risk losing an SG team?" That certainly wasn't their only motivation, but it was an excuse that Washington would believe.

 

"Why indeed," Teal'c said dryly.

 

"So, you know, we'll have this list of addresses we won't visit." Jack looked at Teal'c. "You're gonna need to make a choice," he said. "Chase ghosts on your own and forfeit your welcome here or work with us, knowing that we're willing to help but that it's far from our primary mission." Jack laid out the man's alternatives, the ultimatum he and Hammond had hammered out during their marathon meeting.

 

"And if I do find my sister?"

 

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Jack said, offering the only encouragement that he could. "Teal'c, the one thing you can't do is keep coming and going.  Even before you left, there were people that doubted your loyalty. Now those same people are holding Hammond accountable for trusting you. And calling him eighteen shades of fool for not tossing your ass right back through that gate."

 

"I did not 'come back'," Teal'c said. "Major Coburn and his team chose to bring me back," Teal'c said, emphasizing the clarification.

 

"I know, and that's probably the one thing keeping you out of the brig right now," Jack said. There were those already voicing the opinion that Teal'c had returned to betray the SGC to a system lord. A supposition that Hammond had been able to shut down based solely on Teal'c's physical condition upon his return. And the fact that the dialing computer had spit out P5X374 after he'd left.

 

"There is nothing I can do to allay their suspicions?"

 

Jack shook his head. "I don't even know if I can find a team for you."

 

"SG-1?"

 

"Lorne and Mantranko are just getting settled in. Although I don't think there's a rule saying that we can't have five."

 

Teal'c paused for a second. "What if I did not join a SG team?" he asked.

 

"How do you mean?"

 

"I shall share my knowledge of the goa'uld freely, yet I shall not travel off world."

 

"Why?" Jack asked. He was surprised at Teal'c's offer. To be honest, he'd expected the man to rebel at the restrictions and demand to leave as soon as possible. The popular consensus had been that – faced with such restrictions – Teal'c would most likely choose to leave. Which wasn't exactly the best outcome. At least as far as the Pentagon was concerned. They wanted Teal'c to stay, preferably as a prisoner – so that they could have

access to his knowledge without risking him off world.

 

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Hammond disagreed with their wishes and – given the choice of prisoner or outcast – hoped that Teal'c would choose to leave Earth, taking the dilemma of his status with him.

 

"Captain Carter is no longer permitted through the Stargate," Teal'c said.

 

"That's right," Jack confirmed. "Until she can get a handle on the pain, she's on light duties."

 

"I believe that I can assist her."

 

"Assist how?"

 

"I am well trained in Jaffa meditation techniques, one of which is the management of pain. I believe that I can instruct Captain Carter in this practice."

 

"Why?" Jack asked, not even touching the silliness of meditation curing Carter's chronic pain.

 

"It was through my ineptitude that Captain Carter was injured. I helped to create her situation. I would like to assist in remedying it."

 

Jack paused, considering Teal'c's words. He wanted to help Carter, to do something to get her back to active duty status. More than that, he wanted to do something to help a friend, to make her life easier. He knew that she was struggling to cope, that she was almost constantly in pain. And he wanted to help. But could he trust Teal'c? Was it right for him to even think about getting her hopes up only to have this idea end like so many others, in failure?

 

"I dunno," Jack finally said.

 

"You may speak to Doctor Frasier," Teal'c said. "She has voiced no medical reason why I cannot attempt to assist Captain Carter."

 

"I doubt she's given it a ringing endorsement."

 

"She shares your skepticism and your desire to protect Captain Carter from further harm." Teal'c got to his feet, looking Jack in the eyes. "O'Neill, I promise to you on the life of my son, that I shall not endanger Captain Carter. My only desire is to help."

 

Jack stared at Teal'c, searching for some sign of a lie. Some tell that he was being conned. He saw nothing. "That Rachon made a recovering situation worse," he said. "If you FUBAR it, I'll kick your ass through the gate myself," he threatened. "And that's AFTER I dial up 374 and invite them to finish what they started."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

_Sam sat on the beach, her toes digging into the warm sand. The tiny granules of rock caressed her toes and massaged the soles of her bare feet. The sun hung high in the clear sky and it warmed her skin, the heat relaxing her muscles._

_The breeze blowing across the lake tossed her hair and carried with it the slightly bitter aroma of algae and fish. She closed her eyes and let herself be at peace. The beach was a wonderful place. A safe place. A sanctuary from all that would threaten her._

_She sighed and stretched out, exposing her legs to the warmth of the sun. She closed her eyes and lay back on the warm sand, breathing in the calming smell of fresh air._

_Niggling worries and feelings poked at the back of her brain, but she ignored them, enjoying her surroundings too much to care._

 

She laid there for what felt like hours, her body resting while her brain relaxed. A sudden rush of cold washed over her and she gasped, sitting up with a start. The peaceful blue waves were gone, replaced by angry gray water. The warming golden sun cowered behind roiling gray clouds and a chill wind picked up, sending goose bumps across her skin.

 

 

 

"You lost focus."

 

She opened her eyes, looking at Teal'c sitting cross-legged a few feet from her. "What was your first clue," she quipped, giving voice to her frustration.

 

He smiled calmly. "It is rare for you to maintain your concentration more than a few moments at a time," he said.

 

"Yeah," she sighed, pushing her fingers through her hair. "It's just not easy."

 

"It is even more difficult when you are doing a task that you do not believe in."

 

"Teal'c—"

 

"Captain Carter, I do not mean to accuse, I merely state the fact that, since you do not believe that the meditation will work, it will not work."

 

"I can't change my beliefs, Teal'c," she said. "I want this to work, I really do. If I didn't, I wouldn't have spent four hours a day for three weeks trying to make it work but…"

 

"For the meditation to work, you must believe that it will work. And such beliefs run contrary to the science that you prefer," he said.

 

"I've wasted your time, haven't I?" she asked, finally vocalizing her fear.

 

He shook his head. "I do not believe that it is a waste," he said. "I do, however, believe that, if we continue on this path, we will not attain the results that you desire."

 

"What do you suggest?" she asked, not bothering to deny his conclusions. He was only voicing her own opinions anyway. She had doubts that it would work, which, she knew, only made it more likely that it wouldn't work.

 

"When we believed that Daniel Jackson was dead, yet were still plagued by memories contrary to that, you agreed to a procedure…"

 

"Hypnosis to make me remember the latent memories," Sam said, shivering slightly at the memory. That mission was one that she still had nightmares about. Seeing Daniel burning to death, then still, somehow, knowing that he was alive. The days of flashbacks, the horror of knowing that they'd left him behind.

 

"A similar procedure, but not quite the same," Teal'c said. "Some Jaffa have difficulty attaining the level of kelnoreem necessary to heal. For them, there is a type of mental training to permit them to attain kelnoreem."

 

"Mental training?"

 

"Similar to your hypnosis," he said with a small smile. "You meditate and allow me to…suggest to you that the meditation will work."

 

Sam chuckled. "You basically hypnotize me to believe what you're telling me so that the meditation will allow my mind to tell me that my arm doesn't hurt."

 

"Yes."

 

"Why not?" she shrugged. "I have nothing else to lose. What do I need to do?"

 

"Close your eyes and relax."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Captain Carter sighed and Teal'c watched her sink into a trance. He was hopeful that this would work largely because, if it did not, he feared that he would fail in his task. His teammate's analytical mind and scientific training was simply too great of an obstacle to overcome.

 

"Kesh'mate."

 

Startled, Teal'c looked at her. The woman's eyes were open and they glittered coldly.

"Captain Carter?"

 

"What are you doing?"

 

"What we agreed upon," he said, studying her closely. "Jolinar?" he asked, listening to his intuition. Even though she was dead, the Tok'ra's possession of the captain was the only rational explanation for her speaking an alien language.

 

"You are perceptive."

 

"And you are dead," he said.

 

"Very true. You are not speaking to me as much as you are speaking to my latent memories. Bits of myself that survived, buried in Samantha's brain."

 

"She has never spoken of you," Teal'c said.

 

"She is not aware that I am here," Jolinar said. "As you know, our blending was not an enjoyable experience. When I knew that the Ashrak would come, I sought to minimize my presence as much as possible."

 

"So you buried these memories?"

 

"Yes. Much as a human will 'forget' a traumatic experience. I sought to help her to forget my intrusion," Jolinar confirmed.

 

"Why do you reveal you presence now?" he asked, wondering if the symbiote's presence was a matter of concern and if he needed to inform General Hammond.

 

"It is only because of the meditation that she is able to access her subconscious mind. However, my presence is why your meditation will fail."

 

"I do not understand."

 

"I am inhabiting a corner of Samantha's mind. And it is a corner that she can continue to ignore and function without. Yet it is also the part of her mind that your meditation is attempting to gain access to. As long as she continues to deny my presence, your meditation will not work," Jolinar said.

 

"And if she accepts your presence?" Teal'c asked.

 

"It may work. However, these memories will no longer be hidden from her. She will have to accept them and acknowledge them."

 

"I do not think that Captain Carter will find that unreasonable," Teal'c said.

 

Jolinar shook her head. "Do not agree so quickly. These memories span centuries, many of which she will experience without context. It will not be easy and, perhaps, could even threaten her mental wellbeing."

 

"And if she agrees and accepts the risk?" Teal'c asked, fairly certain that the captain would accept the challenge.

 

"I shall cease to hide and Samantha will be able to access these memories and then you may attempt your meditation and we can hope that it is successful," she said with a small shrug.

 

"I shall speak to her."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Sam walked into the commissary and paused for a moment, getting her bearings before making her way through the line to collect her food. She carried her tray over to sit beside Teal'c. "Hey," she said as she sat down.

 

"Captain Carter," he acknowledged.

 

She smiled at his tray piled high with food. "You're gonna need to start running laps of the gateroom if you keep that up," she joked.

 

He stared at her for a moment, not seeming to get the joke. "General Hammond has given me clearance to run the perimeter of the fence, with supervision," he said.

 

Sam smiled, refraining from commenting on the man's literal interpretation of her words. She ate her lunch, taking a moment to spread some strawberry jelly on her piece of baked chicken. "That is a most unique taste combination," Teal'c said.

 

Sam smiled ruefully. "Off-world delicacy," she said quietly, referring to her recent changes in taste and preference. Her newfound preference for jelly on chicken was just one of many changes that had come about after the release of Jolinar's memories. The last month had been far from easy especially with the complication that Sam sought to keep hidden from everyone but Teal'c the fact that she now had access to a few centuries of Tok'ra memories.

 

"Any new…delicacies?" he asked.

 

Sam shook her head. "I think it's finally under control," she said. "Things actually weren't as bad as she thought they'd be. I've had a few nightmares and a couple of flashbacks, but nothing I don't think anyone has noticed." She shrugged and sighed. "Then again, I'm not exactly living in the guys' pockets anymore." She referred to the fact that, even after releasing Jolinar's memories, the meditation still hadn't worked. Her neck still hurt constantly and there was nothing the drugs could do to fix it. "If you sleep alone, no one notices that you don't sleep."

 

"Perhaps not immediately," Teal'c said.

 

Movement caught her eye and Sam looked past Teal'c to watch SG-1 as they walked into the commissary. She glanced at her watch and figured that they'd just returned from off-world. "Looks like their mission was uneventful," she said.

 

Teal'c followed her gaze. "I do not recall hearing a request for assistance."

 

"It's nice to come back from a mission in one piece and not running through the gate."

She set down her fork, her appetite gone as she fought her internal contradiction. She was glad that they were still going through the gate. And certainly glad that they were back in one piece. But, dammit, she missed it. She missed going off world. She missed being part of a team.

 

"I wish to ask your assistance," Teal'c said, pulling her from her self-pity.

 

"Jogging and I don't get along anymore," she said.

 

"Jolinar spent time in Cronos' ranks," he said.

 

"Yeah. A few decades I think."

 

"Jolinar would know the private names of many of Cronos' planets."

 

"You want me to help you find your sister," she said, making a large leap of logic. It was the only thing that made sense with him being interested in Cronos' holdings.

 

"I would be most grateful if you could assist me in reconciling the name that I have for these planets with the name that the Tau'ri have given them."

 

Sam shrugged. "I have nothing else to do," she said. Laughter echoed across the commissary and she looked towards it, her stomach clenching when she realized that it was SG-1, probably talking about their mission. They were smiling and joking and looked totally comfortable with each other, even Doctor Mantranko.

 

They used to do that. She used to do that. Used to be a part of something.

 

And now she wasn't. She was just like Teal'c, an outsider, tolerated only because she could give them something they needed. In his case, it was goa'uld intelligence, in hers, technical expertise.

 

"You know, all of a sudden I'm in the mood to get the heck out of here." She stood up. "Why don't you meet me in my lab when you're done eating."

 

"I have consumed sufficient nourishment," he said, also getting to his feet.

 

"Cool," she smiled. "Then let's go play match the planet."

 

The two of them picked up their trays and walked out of the commissary, not even looking back as more laughter echoed across the room.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

The conversation of his team faded away as Jack watched Carter and Teal'c pick up their trays and leave the room.

 

"You know, sometimes a mouse is just a mouse," Daniel said. Jack pulled his attention back to the people seated around the table. Daniel was on his left with Lorne across from him while Mantranko sat across from Jack. All of them had returned from off-world just a short time before and were grabbing a bit to eat before their briefing.

 

"And then there's the mice on 397," Lorne said. "The ones whose teeth are three inches long." He held his hand up, his fingers three inches apart to illustrate.

 

Jack shrugged. "That's probably why the cats were three feet long."

 

"It's actually amazing how many similarities there are between our planet and alien planets," Mantranko said. "Felines and rodents for example. I wonder if there's a planet out there where the rodents are bigger than the felines and if the felines are the prey?"

 

"A question that will haunt us all," Jack quipped, ignoring Daniel's frown of displeasure.

 

"Yes, umm, well…" Mantranko floundered a bit and Jack silently sighed.

 

"Why don't we go download those pictures you took in case the general wants to see them?" Lorne suggested.

 

"Umm, well, I—"

 

"That's a good idea," Daniel encouraged. "We can meet you in the briefing room in an hour."

 

"Ok."

 

"Colonel," Lorne acknowledged, shepherding Mantranko towards the door.

 

"You shouldn't pick on him like that," Daniel chastised, defending the scientist.

Doctor Mantranko was as lightly colored as Lorne was dark, possessing blond hair that was almost white and green eyes that most women would kill for. He was about five years older than Lorne and perpetually wore a ball cap to disguise his rapidly receding hairline.

 

All in all, he was a good man, but he reminded jack too much of Daniel on the first Abydos mission – more enthusiasm than skill and no shortage of awkwardness.

 

"He needs to stop being a mouse," Jack said, taking a drink of his iced tea. "For crying out loud, a girl scout could intimidate him."

 

"He's not going to change if you keep cutting him down," Daniel said.

 

"It wasn't a cut down, it was sarcasm."

 

"If Sam was here, she'd tell you that it was a cut down."

 

"If Carter was here, Mantranko would be on SG-9," Jack responded.

 

Daniel stared, seemingly unable to come up with a quick retort. "But Sam's not here," he finally said.

 

"I know," Jack said, giving into his somber mood. There was nothing wrong with his current team. It's not to say that things had been perfect. There had certainly been a learning curve and some rough spots. But after a few weeks, both men had settled in.

 

"What's Sam up to now?" Daniel asked. "I keep meaning to keep up with her, but our schedule's been so crazy lately that I never seem to be able to catch her."

 

"Hammond's got her doing a lot of research," Jack said. "I think she dissects the stuff the teams bring back."

 

"You think?"  
  


"Daniel, I've been just as busy as you," Jack said. "Carter's not under my command anymore, it's really none of my business what she does."

 

"She's not your friend anymore either?" Daniel asked.

 

"Speaks the person that hasn't talked to her in weeks," he shot back.

 

Daniel shrugged. "I saw her and Teal'c leave together."

 

Jack nodded. "I think she's been helping him track down those planetary names he brought back. Especially since you've been too busy to help them."

 

"I thought Janet said he was trying to help her do some meditation thing."

 

Jack shook his head. "They were. It still hasn't helped. If it had, she'd be back on a team by now."

 

"What are they going to do with her?" Daniel asked.

 

"Do with her?" Jack asked.

 

"You know what I mean."

 

"She's not gonna get kicked out of the SGC if that's your worry," Jack said. "Hammond's willing to keep her on in whatever capacity he can justify. He's even talking about setting up some sort of think tank or something like that to dissect that tech that we bring back."

 

"And Teal'c?"

 

"Teal'c's status isn't going to change. He's a…consultant."

 

"You mean resource," Daniel said bitterly.

 

"We trusted him, he blew that trust when he lied to us. In a few more months, Hammond might be able to justify letting him go through the gate again, but not before then."

 

Daniel nodded. "I guess that makes sense. So, you don’t mind that the two of them are spending so much time together?"

 

"Why the hell would I mind?" Jack asked. "Besides, it makes sense that they'd hang out together."

 

"We should do something," Daniel said.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

Daniel shrugged. "Sam's birthday is next month. Maybe we can have a party or something."

 

Jack looked at his watch. "Fine with me. But right now I think we better think more about the briefing in half an hour."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Doctor Aaron Mantranko listened to the man across the table talk, still trying to remind himself that he was speaking to a real live alien. This just wasn't the kind of stuff that happened to the son of a third generation pig farmer from Lincoln, Nebraska. "So, there are trees like this on Chulak?" he asked, holding up a small twig from a tree in Colonel O'Neill's yard.

 

Teal'c nodded. "It is virtually identical. Daniel Jackson holds a theory to explain the similarities."

 

"What, oh right," Daniel said, looking up from peeling the label off his beer bottle. "We think that Earth and a lot of other planets were 'seeded' by an ancient race. And not just us, but also the plants and animals too. It's the terraforming theory."

 

"And then, when the ancient Egyptians buried the gate, they were cut off," Lorne said.

 

"Like how Australia was cut off from the rest of Asia."

 

"Right," Daniel agreed. "Parallel evolution. Some species evolved untouched, others

mutated into something, well, alien."

 

"It's going to be absolutely fascinating to see what develops like it did on Earth, and what develops differently," Aaron said.

 

"There is also the fact that many alien races use their resources differently than they are used on Earth," Teal'c said as Captain Carter joined them at the picnic table, a bottle of beer clutched in her hand. Colonel O'Neill remained at the barbecue, tongs in hand, overseeing their soon to be dinner.

 

"How do you mean?" Daniel asked. Aaron knew that his teammate's familiarity with the Jaffa stemmed from spending a year working with the man, but he still couldn't quite relax with him.

 

"The Tau'ri have access to much technology. This is something that many alien races to not have. So they use other methods."

 

"What other methods?" Lorne asked.

 

"My people, for example, do not possess the medical technology of the Tau'ri."

 

"But Junior pretty much eliminates the need for medical stuff," Daniel said.

 

"Not every Jaffa carries a primta," Teal'c said. "And Jaffa children do not receive their first primta until they reach a certain level of maturity, so there is much need for medicinal knowledge."

 

"What do you do?" Carter asked.

 

"We use various plants and other items to create remedies."

 

"Homeopathic," Aaron said. "Natural remedies instead of pharmacological based ones."

 

"Indeed. Upon many planets, the people possess knowledge that often exceeds that of the Tau'ri." He looked at the three people sitting at the table with him. "There are many planets upon which 'primitive' medical knowledge surpasses that of the most advanced societies."

 

"Eat up, people," O'Neill said, joining them as he set a plate of hamburgers on the table.

 

"What kind of advanced knowledge?" Aaron asked, taking a burger and passing the plate onto Captain Lorne.

 

"There was that ointment we found on Simarka," Carter said, taking the platter from Lorne. "The one that was antibiotic and anti-scarring."

 

Teal'c nodded. "Apophis would often send me to a planet called Sama. The people there possessed an herbal tincture which would enhance a male's virility."

 

O'Neill's eyebrows rose. "So Pops had…" He made motions with his hands.

 

"Trouble getting up in the morning?" Daniel interjected.

 

"Equipment failure?" Carter said, not bothering to hide a smirk.

 

"He was an impotent god?" Lorne said.

 

"Apophis sought to impress his army with the quantity and duration of his…virility. His goals often surpassed even the abilities of a symbiote. Thus he required assistance."

 

"Too bad we didn't bring that back," O'Neill said. "The profits could probably fund the SGC for years."

 

"What other kind of drugs do you know about?" Daniel asked, taking his hamburger and setting the nearly empty plate back down in the middle of the table. Everyone else had already served themselves and their plates were heaped with chips, burgers and baked beans.

 

"Many," Teal'c said. "From ointments to prevent infection to teas that will numb the pain of a wound."

 

"How come you've never talked about this before?" O'Neill asked, taking a large bite of his burger.

 

"The SGC has expressed little interest in knowledge of medicines, rather technology and weapons," Teal'c answered. "Thus that was the information that I have provided."

 

Daniel looked to O'Neill, who shrugged. "Orders are orders. And when you have the potential of mother ships dropping out of orbit, weapons are what you want."

 

"Still, Colonel, you've talked before about all the pressures General Hammond gets from the Joint Chiefs. Wouldn't getting some medicine that can be backwards engineered and sold for a profit do something to chill them out?" Lorne asked.

 

O'Neill shrugged. "They'd have to get a pharmaceutical company in their pockets first. After all, we can't exactly tell them the truth about where the stuff comes from."

 

"With the potential for making billions, I'm willing to bet that they won't care too much," Aaron said, not bothering to hide his cynicism and dislike of big industry. It was something he ran into too many times in his field, the push for profit driving decisions instead of a quest for the common good.

 

"So, where is your next mission to?" Carter asked, blatantly changing the subject.

 

O'Neill frowned. "Lorne? Where are we going?"

 

"P3X297," the man replied. "A mineral survey I think."

 

"Ah, yes, how could I forget," O'Neill replied sarcastically. "Gotta love those mineral surveys."

 

"I could find some ruins to explore if you want me to," Daniel offered, ignoring the glare O'Neill shot his way.

 

"You guys could spend the next week in my lab, tearing apart some little keyboard like thing that SG-4 brought back last week," Carter offered.

 

"Sam…"

 

"It's okay, Daniel," she said. "After a year of getting kidnapped and frozen and shot at, it's kinda nice to have regular hours and go home to your own bed every night." She smiled at him. "Not to mention not having to eat and endless parade of chicken tasting MRE's."

 

"Staying home can have an advantage," O'Neill said. "Such as the fact that cake doesn't travel well."

 

"Cake?" Carter asked.

 

"Can't have a birthday without cake."

 

"I guess you can't," she said. "And cake sounds really good."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

"Jack, read this," Daniel said, holding out a sheaf of paper.

 

Jack looked up, glaring at the report. "What is it?" he asked, making no move to take the paper.

 

"It's the report that Sam has been working on with Teal'c." Daniel walked around the desk and laid out the paper, pointing out one passage. "Did you read this?"

 

"You know I do my best to avoid reading reports if at all possible," Jack said.

 

"You should read this one, Daniel insisted.

 

"Why don't you just fill me in and save me the time?"

 

"Rynlok."

 

"Geseundheit."

 

"Rynlok is a healer. He lives on a planet called Fah'la. According to Teal'c, Apophis used this guy fifty years ago or so. His host had been injured and the sarcophagus was too far away. This guy healed Apophis and saved his life."

 

"Well, that sucks," Jack said.

 

Daniel sighed, in no mood for his friend's normal attitude. "Jack, Apophis had some kind of crippling injury and this guy healed him. And he did it without the benefit of a sarcophagus." Jack stared at him. "He's still alive."

 

"Daniel—"

 

"Jack, what if he can heal Sam?"

 

Jack's expression changed, morphing from exaggerated indifference into something that vaguely resembled hope. "Heal her how?"

 

"I don't know exactly, but Jack, this guy brought Apophis' host back from the brink of death."

 

"The host. Which means he had the snake to help him," Jack said.

 

"And this guy was dying and Sam isn't," Daniel said, unable to hide his exasperation. "Why are you fighting this? I would think you'd jump at the chance to help her," he challenged.

 

"Jump at the chance to get her hopes up, just to have it be wrong?" Jack asked. "Daniel, I want nothing more than to find a way to help Carter and fix what Rachon did. But I don't want to do it at the cost of her state of mind."

 

"Sam's state of mind—"

 

"Is fragile at best," Jack interrupted. "That damn snake screwed with her head, then, just as she was getting over that, Rachon tries to kill her and he screws her up so bad that she can barely function as a person much less as an Air Force officer. Doc tried to fix the damage. Teal'c tried and each time they failed it was harder and harder for her to deal with it."

 

"So, you'd rather not tell her about this?" Daniel asked.

 

"No." Jack picked up the sheaf of paper and got to his feet. "I just want to make damn sure this isn't a wild goose chase before I stick my neck out and go to Hammond for permission." He walked towards the door, looking back when Daniel made no move to follow him. "Come on, let's find out what Teal'c knows about this guy that didn't make it into the report."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Captain Evan Lorne stepped through the Stargate and instinctively took a deep breath, his eyes surveying the trees lining the clearing.

 

"For once, not a sandy planet," O'Neill said, moving to Lorne's side as he slid his sunglasses onto his face.

 

"Few humans seek to establish settlements in hostile climates," Teal'c said.

 

"The Abydonians are only where they are because that's where Ra put them," Daniel said. "If they weren't so afraid, they'd move."

 

"If they moved, then they wouldn't have as much to fear," Mantranko said.

 

"Other than being found," Carter said. "System Lords get a little pissy when they think you've crossed them."

 

"Is pissy a technical term?" O'Neill asked.

 

"It's accurate."

 

"It's also what I'm going to be if we spend all day wandering around with our thumbs up our—"

 

"Rynlok's village is that way," Teal'c said, interrupting as he pointed his staff weapon to the left. "It is approximately a two hours walk." Lorne knew that General Hammond had only given them twelve hours to look for and talk to the healer mentioned in Teal'c's report. And if they were going to spend four hours walking, it wasn't going to give them that much time with the healer. Presuming he was still here. Presuming he was still alive and presuming that he could do something to help Carter. And others. That was the justification Colonel O'Neill had used to get General Hammond to approve this mission. The potential for life saving and life altering medical knowledge.

 

"Glad I had a hearty breakfast," O'Neill said. "Teal'c, take point, Lorne, you're bringing up the rear. Everybody else, fall in and keep your eyes open just in case the welcoming committee likes to shoot first and ask questions later."

 

The six of them distributed themselves, Daniel walking next to O'Neill while Carter stayed close to Mantranko. Teal'c found a faint trail and led them through the clearing and into the trees. The temperature dropped as they left the warming rays of the sun and Lorne tensed, aware that the trees could be hiding any sort of threat.

 

O'Neill and Daniel talked amongst themselves, bickering slightly about the distance between the gate and the village and how long it should take to make the walk. They were perhaps half a mile down the trail when Teal'c stopped, holding up his hand. O'Neill abandoned the conversation and hurried forward while Carter and Daniel raised their weapons. Lorne himself turned, directing his attention towards the rear. Lorne walked backwards, slowly closing the gap between them. "What is it?" he heard O'Neill ask quietly.

 

"Something is in the trees." Evan studied the trees closely, seeking some movement that could reveal the threat.

 

"Define something," O'Neill requested. His request was answered by the unmistakable zinging sound of a zat. Evan spun towards the sound, only to have his vision blinded by a brilliant blue light and he knew no more.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

"Unscheduled gate activation." Hammond looked up from the paperwork he was reading and sighed as he pushed his chair back. He heard Sergeant Davis call for the defense teams as he crossed the briefing room and hurried down the stairs.

 

"Report!"

 

"Receiving IDC, sir. It's SG-1." Davis looked up at him. "They're not due back for another three hours."

 

"Open the iris and get medical down there," Hammond ordered. The metal blades of the iris spun open as he forced himself to remain in the control room. He wanted to help his people, but knew that the best way to help them was to stay out of their way.

 

He watched as the team came home, melting from the shimmering blue surface. Four came forth, all moving under their own power, if a bit slow for Hammond's liking.

 

Seeing no immediate danger, Hammond left the control room and made his way down into the gateroom. "Colonel? Where's the rest of your team?" he asked as the wormhole snapped off.

 

"Wish I knew, sir," O'Neill said, handing off his weapon. "We were attacked shortly after we came through the gate."

 

"They had zats, sir," Lorne said. "By the time we woke up, Captain Carter and Teal'c were gone."

 

"The healer you went to go see?" Hammond asked.

 

"We tried to find the village and couldn't. After a few hours searching, we came back here," O'Neill said. "Sir, I want to request a UAV. Have it fly over and try to find this place. Failing that, maybe it can find some sign of whoever kidnapped two of my people."

 

"I'll take that under advisement, colonel," Hammond said. "Right now, I want you to get down to medical and get checked out. We'll debrief in an hour."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Teal'c walked through the knee-high grass, his senses stretched to the limit. He studied everything, from the direction of the wind to the angle of the sun and the pattern of the small avian inhabitants of the planet.

 

He glanced at his companion and struggled to contain his ire at her very presence. She was not supposed to be here.

 

 

 

 

_"Something is in the trees," Teal'c said, waiting until O'Neill looked away to pull the zatnikatel from his belt. With a haste born from decades of experience, he fired the weapon in quick succession, subduing his teammates in just seconds._

_"Is it bad that I enjoyed that," Captain Carter said, holstering her zatnikatel before she verified that no one was irreparably harmed._

_"I believe that you have been too long denied the ability to venture through the Stargate," he said, assisting her in ascertaining the physical well being of O'Neill and the others._

_"They're all fine," she said. "But we better hurry. Last time the colonel got zatted he was down less than ten minutes."_

_"I thank you for your assistance. Would you prefer that I incapacitate you or do you wish to pretend to be unconscious?" he asked, grudgingly admitting to himself that she had been right. It is doubtful that he would have been able to render all five of them unconscious without at least one being able to return fire or realize that their attack did not originate from without, but within. Thus had been born their plan. Or, more accurately, Captain Carter's plan. That she assist him in subduing the team, then allow them to believe that she too had been a victim, rather than a perpetrator._

_"I'd prefer neither," she said, looking at him. "I’m coming with you."_

_"You are not," he said, mildly surprised by her change of heart._

_"Yes, I am."_

_"Captain Carter, I am grateful for your assistance in escaping my captivity at the SGC, however I cannot permit you to join me on my quest."_

_"You need me," she said. "You need the memories in my head."_

"I am confident that the discussions we had imparted sufficient knowledge for me to find the planet upon which T'Resa sought refuge."

_"I'm not," she said. "Teal'c, it's been six months. She could be anywhere on any of Cronos' planets right now. Planet locations that Jolinar knew."_

_"Captain Carter, I do not believe that you realize the hazards of this quest," Teal'c said. "I am marked as the First Prime of Apophis. I will be searching the holdings of Cronos, who is Apophis' sworn enemy. My welcome upon these planets will extremely limited."_

_"Which is precisely why you need me," she said. "Teal'c, who's gonna notice one more refugee? I'll go in, ask around, if she's there, I'll let you know."_

_"The villages will welcome Jaffa, not humans."_

_"Good thing I brought my makeup," she said. "Now, we have about two minutes to get the heck out of here, before the colonel wakes up and all this planning has been for nothing."_

_Teal'c stared at her, tempted to ignore her wishes and subdue her, insuring her return to Earth and her safety. His hand drifted towards his zatnikatel, his fingers curling in anticipation. "Teal'c, any tech with half a brain can do my job. You want to find T'Resa, you need me. You need what Jolinar left behind. Let me help you. Please."_

_He heard a faint groan and looked towards O'Neill, noticing the man starting to stir._

_"Please remain quiet," he said. In one quick move he picked her up, dumping her unceremoniously over his shoulder. She muttered a small squeal of surprise as he jogged towards the clearing, hoping that they would be able to dial the Stargate and exit the planet before O'Neill fully regained his senses and attempted to stop them._

 

 

They reached the top of a rise and Teal'c stopped, reaching out to grab Captain Carter's arm to stay her journey. "The village is in that valley," he said, his nose picking out the unmistakable scents of habitation. He could smell the smoke from the fires along with the scent of roasting meat and caught the faint whiff of a latrine system.

 

 

She nodded and knelt down, a movement that he imitated. The best way to survey without being seen was to remain unobtrusive. "How many do you think is down there?"

 

She drew out her small pair of binoculars, one of the many tools of the Tau'ri that she insisted upon keeping in her possession, even as she willingly adopted attire that blended with that of a local inhabitants.

 

"Perhaps three hundred," he answered. Just like her, he had abandoned his Tau'ri clothing and now was dressed in pants made of a leather like material, a woven cloth shirt and high leather boots. Both of them wore long jackets that concealed many hidden pockets containing various weapons and other tools.

 

She nodded and sighed. "I don't suppose you know someone down there? Someone that can just tell us if there have been any new arrivals?"

 

"If I possessed knowledge of a sympathetic source of information, I would be availing myself if it," he said, refraining from reminding her that her presence here was her own idea.

 

"Figured as much." She turned her face towards him. "Is my tattoo on straight?"

 

Teal'c permitted himself a small grin at her question. "It is indeed, Captain Carter."

 

"I told you, lose the captain," she said, her light-hearted spirit fading. "That's a Tau'ri title, and we're not Tau'ri anymore." She got to her feet. "I'm gonna go down, see if I can blend in." She looked at her watch. "I'll check in in two hours. If they buy my story, I may end up finding an inn and staying the night. I'll radio you and let you know."

 

"I understand," he said. He did not like her investigating the villages on her own. The Jaffa were his people and he should be the one conversing with them. However, he was also hunted, even amongst his own. It took them only a few days to realize that his reputation was too widely spread to permit him free passage on a wide basis. Because of this, they had developed a rough plan. She would enter the village and ask for T'Resa while he would remain close, often camping in the woods near the village. He attempted to remain close enough to render assistance if she required it, yet far enough away to remain unnoticed by any sentries.  
  


"We'll find her," she said, reaching out to grasp his arm. "It's just a matter of time."

 

"Of that I am aware," he answered. "I shall remain vigilant for your communication."

She nodded and turned. He laid down upon the rise and watched as she made her way into the village, using his own binoculars to assist his vision. Thus far, while yielding nothing, their investigations had remained unnoteworthy. And he could only hope that they continued to do so. It may have been her choice to be here, but she was still his responsibility. And it was a responsibility that he took seriously.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Sam walked through the grass, her mind torn between paying attention to her surroundings and simply enjoying them.

 

She had missed this so much, not just getting out into the field but going off world. Despite the fact that her neck and back still ached and hurt, she felt better than she had in months. She knew that Teal'c didn't quite believe her but she had felt as much a prisoner as he had been.  Which was one reason she'd come up with the plan that enabled both of them to make their escape.

 

The other reason was far more practical.

 

Jolinar's memories.

 

And the fact that she'd been finding it harder and harder to come up with practical explanations for her sudden bursts of insight and knowledge.  More than once she'd caught Daniel looking at her oddly, a puzzled frown on his face, almost as if he was able to sense Jolinar within her. She didn't think the colonel had noticed, but she'd also been doing her best to stay away from him, just as she had many of her friends.

 

It was easier that way. Easier to handle the flashbacks that plagued her at the oddest times. Sleeping alone made the occasional nightmare – or remembered romantic liaison – easier to deal with. And eating alone – or with Teal'c – definitely made her sudden fascination with different taste combinations easier to hide.

 

Jolinar liked things spicy. The spicier the better. But she also had an incurable sweet tooth. Both of which sometimes played havoc with her digestive system. Of course, they'd played havoc with Rosha's too. But Jolinar had been around to help her host. Just like she'd cured Mirel's cancer and healed Sashea's diabetes and fixed Lalina's detached retina.

 

Over the centuries, Jolinar had done a lot for her hosts. Not that Sam was honoring the symbiote as humanitarian of the year. At its most basic, Jolinar had simply bartered her 'fix it' skills in exchange for free room and board, and who wants to spend their life in a broken body?

 

After all, it was kinda hard to wage a guerrilla war if the body you were in was too weak to stand, much less run and fight.

 

The hair on the back of her neck stood up and Sam stopped. She let her eyes go slightly out of focus as she stretched her senses, seeking confirmation. "Kreeshak. Kah'la Mahte." She held her hands out at her side, well away from her weapons.

 

As she expected, four Jaffa stood up, emerging from their hiding places in the grass. "Marshak Mate!" one of them demanded, his staff weapon armed and ready.

 

"I am Rasha, in service to my lord Cronos," she said, drawing from Jolinar's knowledge to understand and speak fluent Jaffa.

 

"Why are you here?" he asked, relaxing slightly, but not lowering his weapon.

 

"I am merely traveling," she said. The leader stared at her, clearly skeptical. "I come in search of refugees from Kalana. Some of my husband's kin lived there. My hope is that they survived the attack and were able to seek refuge elsewhere."

 

"Who is your mate?"

 

"To whom do I speak?" Sam challenged, tired of being on the defensive.

 

"Kar'lan of the windswept hills."

 

"Rasha of the tall peaks. My husband's kin are of the green waters."

 

"None from the green waters sought refuge here," Kar'lan said.

 

"Sabala?" one of the men said.

 

"Yes," Kar'lan agreed. "Sabala knows where many from Kalana sought refuge. You should speak to her."

 

"I would like to," Sam said.

 

"I shall take you," Kar'lan said. "Remain on guard!" he ordered the men before gesturing for Sam to follow him. "Who is your husband?" he asked, once they were out of earshot of the others. Sam glanced back, noticing them melting back down into the grass, nearly imperceptible.

 

"Tah'lac," Sam answered. She knew that it wasn't just friendly curiosity that drove Kar'lan's questions, she was basically being interrogated. Which was just what she'd expected. Despite her hundreds of missions, Jolinar hadn't had much contact with Jaffa, so most of Sam's reactions were the result of her and Teal'c spending several evenings briefing and coaching each other. Along with a return trip to Kalana to try and find some names and histories to make her cover story that much more accurate.

 

She knew that Teal'c was watching her from his vantage point up on the hill. Just like he'd watched her the past three times they'd searched villages.

 

In a way, it reassured her. But she also knew that she couldn't count on him to bail her out. He was at least a mile away and, even if he ran at full speed, he'd never be able to do anything beyond to pick up the pieces.

 

"I am not familiar with Tah'lac," Kar'lan said.

 

"He was killed three years ago," Sam answered.

 

"And you have not taken another?"

 

"I have not found one to fill the void in my heart," she answered.

 

He nodded sympathetically. "Still, it is your duty to your god to provide him sons to fill his ranks."

 

"I know," Sam said, refusing to get her dander up about his attitude.

 

"We have many unmated males amongst us. Perhaps you can find one here," he suggested.

 

"Perhaps," Sam said. "But first I must know the fate of my husband's kin."

 

"Do you know if they survived the attack?"

 

"I did not find them amongst the dead."

 

"Many perished that day."

 

"Too many," she agreed as they reached the outskirts of the village.

 

"They shall be avenged," Kar'lan said.

 

"As they should be," Sam answered.

 

They walked past a couple of Jaffa leading two large cows and Sam forced herself to appear relaxed. As a Tau'ri, she wouldn't dare to enter a Jaffa village, even accompanied by her team and heavily armed. But she wasn't Tau'ri. Not anymore. She was Rasha, widow of Tah'lac, and was searching for her husband's kin, victims of the massacre of Kalana. She was a Jaffa widow.

 

And a Jaffa widow did not show fear.

 

"Sabala lives here," Kar'lan said, pointing out a small hut placed several yards away from its nearest neighbor. It was a simple house, a thatched roof atop stone walls surrounded by a simple wooden fence. A goat was tethered outside the front door and a handful of chickens scratched the dirt, clucking amongst themselves. A thin stream of smoke coiled out the chimney and Sam could smell the aroma of some sort of cooking stew.

 

"Thank you," Sam said.

 

She made her way up to Sabala's door, glancing over her shoulder to see Kar'lan standing just outside the fence, obviously waiting to see if Sabala was in a welcoming mood before he left. Sam knocked and waited for the woman to answer the door.

 

It opened and Sam smiled, hoping to make a good impression. "You are not from around here," the woman said, staring at her with sparkling hazel eyes. Sabala didn't quite live up to Sam's expectations. She'd expected someone older, perhaps appearing to be sixty with gray hair and wrinkled skin. Instead, Sabala was younger, appearing to be the Earth equivalent of forty – although Sam knew that age appearance was deceptive with Jaffa.

Never in her wildest dreams would she think that Teal'c was almost a hundred.

 

Sabala's dark hair was drawn back, bound into a braid that lay along her spine. A few wisps of hair curled around a face that was faintly lined. Her complexion was darker than Sam's own, but not as dark as Teal'c's. She wore a dark homespun dress, belted around the middle with a corset that cinched in her waist and accentuated the curves of her hips and breasts.

 

"No, I'm not," Sam answered. "Kar'lan says that you can help me. I am looking for my husband's kin. They were on Kalana."

 

"Then we will have much to talk about," she said, smiling. She looked over Sam's shoulder. "More than we can discuss comfortably across the lintel." She opened the door wider, inviting Sam in as she nodded at Kar'lan.

 

Sam followed her, standing awkwardly in the small room until Sabala motioned for her to sit at a small table. The woman dipped two wooden cups into a bucket and set one before Sam. "It may be customary to offer spirits, but I do not drink them."

 

"Water is fine," Sam said.

 

Sabala sat and she slowly studied Sam. "You have traveled far," she said.

 

Sam smiled and held her cup up. "Perceptive."

 

Sabala shook her head. "It is not perception, it is common sense. Kalana was many months ago. If you are still searching for survivors you have been searching for quite some time."

 

"That I have," Sam said.

 

Sabala stared at her again. "You were not on Kalana when it was attacked."

 

Sam shook her head. "No. I was with my family. My husband, Tah'lac, died three years ago. I returned to my own family after his death. After I heard of the attack, I sought Tah'lac's kin out, to assure myself of their safety."

 

"And you found nothing."

 

"Destroyed houses, charred remains. I did not find their bodies, yet I also found no signs that they survived," Sam said.

 

Sabala nodded again. "Your husband. From where did he hail?"

 

"His kin are from the green waters," Sam answered. "I search for his sister. Her name is T'Resa."

 

"I know of no one by that name."

 

"Do you maybe recognize this?" Sam reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklace Teal'c had given to her. She held it up. Sabala reached out and Sam let her take the piece of jewelry.

 

"This is gold," Sabala said. "Few Jaffa wear such finery."

 

"It belonged to T'Resa's mother. It was a reward from their god for her father pleasing him. I found it at Kalana. I do not know if she lost it in the attack or if it was taken from her."

 

Sabala shook her head. "No one spoke of losing such a treasure," she said, handing it back to Sam.

 

"Thank you," Sam said, taking the necklace and tucking it carefully into her pocket.

 

"I am curious, though, why a goa'uld is pretending to be a Jaffa." Sabala shot to her feet, pulling a knife off the table and holding it before her.

 

Sam's heart skipped a beat and she instinctively reached for her own weapon, only stopping when she realized that her only hope of getting away from Sabala was to have no one else involved. And the sound of a gunshot would sure as hell involve others. "I am not—"

 

"Do not lie," Sabala interrupted. "The men may accept you for what you say you are, but they rarely take a moment to look beneath the obvious. I can sense the symbiote that was once within you, but it is nothing but a trace, a fragmented remnant. You do not carry a primta, thus you are not Jaffa."

 

"I was a host, yes, but the rest of my story is true. I mean you no harm, I mean no one here harm. All I want to do is to find T'Resa." Sam slowly got to her feet, preparing to defend herself if she had to. She didn't want to hurt the woman. If she did, word would get out and within a day or two, every Jaffa village would be on the lookout for a questioning traveler.

 

"Why?"

 

"She is the sister of a friend of mine. She's all the family that he has left. All he wants to do is to find her."

 

"If she is so important to him, why is he not here seeking information about her?"

 

"He can't," Sam said. "He serves the wrong god. Your men folk would kill him upon sight."

 

"So you do his bidding?"

 

"I do what he cannot," Sam corrected.

 

"And your fee for your generosity?" she asked, her voice full of censure as she looked at Sam with disgust in her eyes.

 

"He is my friend and my comrade. Believe of me as you wish, I don't care. You know nothing of T'Resa. Fine. I'll leave and never return."

 

Sam tried to edge her way towards the door, grateful that Sabala's hut was on the edge of the village. If she was lucky the woman would not raise the alarm, and if she did, maybe

Sam could make it out of the village and around the sentries before they were notified. "I never said that I knew nothing of T'Resa," Sabala said, her words staying Sam's retreat.

 

"Tell me," Sam demanded.

 

"I will tell the brother."

 

Sam shook her head. "You can tell me," she countered.

 

"You will take me to him, or I shall yell for Kar'lan. Do you know what they will do to an impostor?" Sabala threatened.

 

Sam stared at her, trying to think of a way to get out of the hut and out of the village and back to Teal'c in one piece.

 

 

_'I can give her back to you.'_

_'We can't let you go.'  
  
_

_'I'm not talking about Samantha, Daniel, I'm talking about Shau'ri. I know where she is.'_

 

 

The flashback washed over her and Sam paused, fighting nausea that bubbled up from her gut. Shau'ri. Jolinar hadn't been lying that day in the SGC cell. She had known where Shau'ri was. She had known how to rescue her, how to contact the Tok'ra. The Tok'ra could have removed Amaunet from Shau'ri. She could have given Daniel his wife back.

Could have.

 

Had she not been so afraid and denied the memories Jolinar had left behind Shau'ri would be free and Daniel wouldn't be alone.  
  


"You won't alert the sentries?" Sam asked.

 

"I will not," Sabala promised.

 

"Why?" Sam asked, not quite ready to trust the woman. "If you believe that I'm a goa'uld,

why would you help me? Why would you help my friend?"

 

"Perhaps I am curious as to why a goa'uld would go to so much effort," Sabala replied.

"Or perhaps I am curiouser about one who survived the death of their symbiote."

 

"Or?" Sam prodded.

 

"Or perhaps I am merely curious…and have seen too many families torn asunder by the games and petty bickering of creatures that pretend to be more than they are."

 

She met Sam's eyes and Sam could see honest regret and what had to be decades of pain. "I'll take you to him," Sam said.

 

Sabala nodded and retrieved a cloak hanging off a peg by the door. She settled it over her shoulder and opened the door, motioning for Sam to go first. Sam frowned. "I will not be seen as your prisoner if you are walking before me," she explained.

 

Sam shrugged and walked out the door, unable to argue with the woman's logic. They slowly retraced Sam's steps from earlier, making their way out of the village and towards the Stargate. "Where's Kar'lan?" Sam asked, her eyes raking the edges of the woods.

 

"Probably with his wife," Sabala answered. "She is heavy with child and Kar'lan wishes to witness its birth. He rarely strays far."

 

"Makes sense," Sam muttered, not knowing what else to say. She tensed as they approached the field where the sentries were. Despite herself, she glanced over her shoulder, looking to see if Sabala was giving some sort of signal.

 

"They care little about who leaves the village," Sabala said. "And since you are walking in front of me, you are obviously leading me somewhere, of my own free will."

 

"Okay," Sam said. "But when we get past them and close to my friend, you better go first. Because if he doesn't think that I'm coming of my own free will, he's not gonna be happy."

 

"Really?"

 

Sam stopped and looked back at her. "If he thinks you're going to hurt me, he'll kill you," she said seriously.

 

Sabala smiled. "So, he is Jaffa," she said, nonplussed by Sam's words.

 

"Yeah," Sam conceded.

 

"And you are…human? Was he your servant?"

 

Sam shook her head, turning and continuing towards where she thought Teal'c was hiding. "No. We're friends. He's not my servant and I'm not his."

 

"Interesting."

 

"It can be."

 

"Who is your friend?" Sabala asked after a minute.

 

"No one you know," Sam replied, well aware that she probably did know who Teal'c was. But Sam couldn't risk Sabala getting spooked. The sentries were a few hundred yards behind them, but all it'd take is one raised voice or shout for help and it'd all to go hell.

 

"You protect him."

 

"As you protect T'Resa."

 

"We all have those that we protect," Sabala answered.

 

"Wouldn't be life if we didn’t," Sam answered. She stopped and listened, searching for some sign of her companion. "It's okay, she's a friend," Sam said, knowing that Teal'c was close. Even if he hadn't been somewhere close, Sam knew that he'd been watching for her and would have moved close.

 

She heard a rustling sound to her left and turned her head, smiling as Teal'c melted out from the underbrush. He held his staff weapon ready but unarmed. Sam could see that he'd borrowed a page from Daniel's book, a strip of cloth covered his head, concealing his tattoo. Sam knew that it was tenuous at best. Even with his tattoo covered, Teal'c's name was widely known. And pretty much every Jaffa on this planet would be happy to kill him on sheer principal.

 

"This is Sabala," Sam introduced. "She says that she knows something about the owner of the necklace."

 

"What do you know?" Teal'c asked as he got close enough to talk without yelling.

 

"Whom do you serve?" she asked.

 

"Does that really matter?" Sam asked, afraid that her gamble would unravel.

 

"I am free. I serve no false god," Teal'c said.

 

"All Jaffa serve a god."

 

"We are nothing but tools cowards use to further their own ambitions," Teal'c said.

 

Sam stepped between them. "We're not here to argue politics. We're here searching for his sister. You said that you knew where she was. Do you or don't you? Because if you don't, we're just going to head through the chappai and go home." Sam stared at Sabala, pinning her gaze.

 

Sabala's eyes narrowed as she stared at Sam. Without breaking eye contact, her hand struck out, ripping the cloth from Teal'c's head. "Apophis!" she spat, her hand dropping to her waist and drawing her knife.

 

"No," Sam said, grabbing Sabala's wrist and doing her best to hold the knife harmless.

 

Sabala fought harder and Sam brought up her other hand in an effort to control the knife. Teal'c took a step back so that he could bring his staff weapon to bear. Sabala twisted her arm, pulling the knife free and Sam cried out as the blade sliced into her forearm.

 

"Down!" Teal'c cried and Sam fell to her knees, clutching her injured arm close. Teal'c swung his staff weapon, knocking Sabala to the ground. He lunged forward, wrapping his hand around her neck. "WHERE IS SHE!" he demanded, squeezing slightly.

 

"I will not betray my own!"

 

"Then you will die!"

 

Sam struggled to her feet and lurched towards them. "She wouldn't want this," Sam said, standing over Teal'c. "We can find her without Sabala's help."

 

"Where is my sister?" Teal'c repeated, ignoring Sam.

 

"You serve Apophis, she cannot—"

 

"She was taken from my family and I want her back. Where. Is. She!"

 

Sam heard some distant shouts and she looked up, her eyes going wide at the sight of the sentries, running towards them. "We're out of time!" She pulled her weapon, her eyes darting towards Teal'c. "We have got to go!"

 

"Where is she!" Teal'c kept Sabala in his grasp, his eyes cold and hard.

 

"I will die—"

 

"I thought you were tired of watching families torn apart," Sam said. "Help him!"

 

"Tell your lord I spit in his face!"

 

A bolt from a staff weapon shattered the ground at her feet and Sam reached out, grabbing Teal'c's arm. "You can't find her if you're dead. Let's go!"

 

Teal'c paused for a second and Sam almost thought that he'd allow them to be captured. "You waste your life serving a false god!" Teal'c spat before releasing Sabala's neck. He delivered a quick punch that rendered her unconscious and got to his feet just as another blast exploded to their left. "You are right, Captain Carter, we are out of time."

 

He armed his staff weapon and fired off a few shots, scattering the three attacking Jaffa.

"I thought I told you to lose the captain," she said, firing a few shots before he grabbed her arm and dragged her backwards, towards the gate.

 

Abandoning fighting back, they ran, dodging staff blasts as they tried to make it to the gate before the sentries could get close enough to shoot them. Once they reached the DHD, Teal'c pushed her towards it, standing between her and the sentries to fire at them.

 

"Expediency would be appreciated," he said, punctuating his words with two blasts from his staff weapon.

 

"Yeah, now you'll move," she muttered, pressing the last glyph and the center stone. The wormhole splashed open and Sam turned, raising her own weapon to help him. "I thought you were in a hurry?"

 

Teal'c didn't answer, instead he moved to her side and the pair of them backed towards the gate, defending themselves from the sentries. Sam was trying not to shoot to kill, although she had no idea if Teal'c was exercising the same restraint. They reached the steps of the dais and turned, jogging up the steps and through the Stargate.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Daniel hurried down the corridor, Captain Lorne at his side. "Gate's already open. Jack's gonna be pissed," he said, taking a mental inventory of his pack, even as he acknowledged that if he was forgetting something he'd make due rather than be even later.

 

"It's not your fault that the lace broke," Lorne said, referring to Daniel's boot lace. He'd been passing by the gear up room as Daniel had hobbled out, his right boot half off the man's foot.

 

"If I use that as an excuse, he'll say that I should have checked it earlier, and he'd be right."

 

"We're not that late," Evan said. "Besides, I thought Colonel O'Neill didn’t want to go on this mission anyway."

 

"Not wanting to and having to are two different things," Daniel said as they walked into the gateroom.

 

Evan felt his earlier light mood fade as he caught sight of the colonel's hard expression. "Nice of you two to join us," O'Neill said.

 

"Sorry, sir."

 

"Sorry," Daniel said.

 

O'Neill nodded. "It costs about a thousand bucks a minute to have that gate open. You two are late again, I'm gonna take it out of your checks." He nodded towards Phil Mantranko, standing uncomfortably by the ramp. "Let's move out!"

 

Wisely keeping his mouth shut, Evan quickly made his way up the ramp, his teammates at his side. In just seconds, they were several hundred light years away and Evan stepped briskly down the stairs, his weapon held at the ready.

 

"Joy, trees," O'Neill said, sliding his sunglasses on his face.

 

"This flora is similar to—"

 

"Continue that sentence and I'm gonna assign you a double watch," O'Neill said, interrupting Phil. "We have eight hours to look at a temple that's two miles away. That means we really have six. Lorne, you're on point. I've got the rear."

 

Heeding the man's terse orders, Evan quickly got his bearings and headed out, not surprised when Daniel joined him.

 

"Who piddled in his post toasties this morning?" Evan asked quietly. True, he was the colonel's second but he also knew that Daniel and the colonel had a friendship that transcended rank. Bonded both by the first Abydos mission but also by being the two surviving original members of SG-1.

 

Daniel sighed softly. "General Hammond declared Sam and Teal'c officially MIA this morning."

 

"Ouch." Evan thought a minute. "It's been three weeks. I thought they already were MIA?"

 

Daniel shook his head. "Not outside the SGC. But after three weeks of UAV flights, he couldn't keep putting it off. He called off the search too. If they're still out there and still alive, they're gonna have to make their own way home via one of our allies."

 

"That explains the mood," Evan said. Even though he'd already served on SG-1 a few months, he felt like he did have a bit of a handle on his CO. And one thing he knew was that he man hated to lose. And he would see the search being called off as a loss. "What do you think happened?" he asked.

 

"What?"

 

"The day they vanished. What do you think happened?"

 

"You were there."

 

"I got shot with a zat. Next thing I knew, Colonel O'Neill was trying to wake me up," Evan said.

 

"Same here," Daniel said.

 

"So, maybe someone kidnapped them. But why them? Why not all of us? Or why didn't they kill us? It doesn't make any sense."

 

"It probably makes more sense than the point man being so busy yakking a platoon of Girl Scouts could take him out," O'Neill snapped.

 

"Yes, sir," Evan said, feeling his face flush at the rebuke.  
  


"Jack—"

 

"Daniel. No," he interrupted. "You want to gossip, do it back at the base. I have point. Lorne, take the six." O'Neill stepped forward, leaving the two of them behind.

Knowing better than to say anything, Evan simply made a face at Daniel before falling back to his position. They were starting a two day mission. They'd have plenty of time to talk.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

"Ow!" Sam complained, daring to dart a glance towards her arm before again averting her eyes. Teal'c ignored her expression of pain and instead continued stitching the cut on her arm. "I'm sorry it didn't work out," she said. "I thought for sure that Sabala would help us."

 

"Her caution was wise," Teal'c said as he finished with the stitches. He reached for what was left of their medical kit and pulled out a roll of gauze.

 

"Do you think she really knew anything?" Sam asked, letting him bandage her left arm as she toyed with T'Resa's necklace as it lay on the wooden table top.

 

"I do not know."

 

"It'd almost be better if she didn't," Sam continued. "If she doesn't have any idea who T'Resa is, she can't warn her." Teal'c finished and Sam checked his work, slowly flexing her fingers. It hurt, but when did her arm NOT hurt?

 

"It is also possible that T'Resa did not keep her name," Teal'c said, moving to pour some water out of a bucket into a basin so that he could wash her blood off his fingers.

 

The two of them were living in an abandoned house they'd found. Teal'c called the village Karken. It had been abandoned several years before when an epidemic had killed most of its inhabitants. What few survived had left – calling the planet cursed.

 

The village consisted of perhaps thirty small homes, the most intact of which they were sharing. After a little scavenging and some trading they had a fairly comfortable living, even if it was primitive by Sam's standards.

 

They got water from a well for cooking and bathing and had an outhouse for their sanitary needs. Cooking was done over an open hearth, which also served to heat the building.

 

They each had their own small room complete with a narrow bed and a chest for their clothing. The bed was amazingly comfortable consisting of a fluffy down mattress suspended on ropes tied securely to the wooden bed frame.

 

They ate what they could hunt or fish, augmented with vegetables foraged from a long abandoned and very overgrown farm. It wasn't as comfortable as she could wish for – the lack of central heating and indoor plumbing – but it was far better than the alternative, which was camping in the woods.

 

They were warm and dry and relatively safe behind thick stone walls.

 

"So we're back to looking for the owner of the necklace," Sam said, gathering up their med kit. "We need to replace some of the med supplies," she said, changing the subject.

"You know, Dala used to know…" She trailed off, memories from a century before washing over her.

 

_Chasing Kasan through the tall summer grass._

_Her eyes lifted to the stars, laughing as the first snow of the season bathed her face._

_Kissing her husband under the betrothal boughs._

_The tearing pain as she brought her first child into the world._

_The scream of death gliders ripping across the sky._

_The rhythmic thump of marching feet._

_Screams of terror, cries of pain._

_Bound, her husband's blood drying on her face, she was dragged to the circle, the glowing glyphs silent testimony to her last moments of freedom._

 

 

Sam looked up, slowly realizing that she was sitting awkwardly on the stone floor, Teal'c kneeling in front of her, his hands gripping her arms. "Trealana," she gasped. "Dala was taken there, she was a slave for almost ten years."

 

"Dala?"

 

"Martouf infiltrated and Jolinar needed a host so…"

 

_'Please, she is dying.'_

 

 

 

"She traded slavery for…"

 

 

_A warm force pushing through her mouth and tearing into her throat. Fear, pain, desperation._

 

 

Sam looked at Teal'c. "There's a temple there. The priest might keep track of movements and…"

 

"Do you know the glyphs?" Sam nodded, barely able to comprehend his words as memories again swelled up from the recesses of her mind. "Then we shall go there," he said. "In a couple of days, when your arm does not pain you."

 

 

_Cold metal. A heavy manacle sealed around her ankle, abrading the skin and digging into her flesh. An icy brand that marked her as chattel._

_Cooking meals that were never right._

_Sewing clothes that were never good enough._

_Banishing her to sleeping on the floor if he did not take her._

_Leaving her alone, chained like a dog, not caring if she had food or water._

_Sticky sweat dropping onto her face as he used her, grunting his pleasure and ignoring her pain. Heavy hands, bruising and touching. Taking what he wanted when he desired._

_Sharing her if he wished, passing her as if she was nothing more than a simple possession._

 

 

Lost in a past that was not her own, Sam did not even hear Teal'c speak her name.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Teal'c eased Captain Carter to her feet, gentling guiding her towards her room. He could tell that she was still in shock in that she did not protest as he assisted her in sitting on her bed so that he could untie her boots. This was not the first time she had reacted thus.

 

Once her feet were free, she laid down, rolling to face the wall.

 

Teal'c quietly left the room, pulling the door mostly, but not totally, closed. He knew that she required time to deal with and process new memories. Especially ones that he was sure were disturbing. If this Dala had indeed been a slave to a Jaffa, he doubted that she enjoyed her internment.

 

This was not the first time Teal'c had witnessed such a vivid flashback. And he feared that it would not be the last. What did concern him, however, was how Captain Carter was handling the memories. This was the third time she had descended into a fugue state, frightening him that, one day, she may not emerge.

 

Back on Earth, he had witnessed her withdrawing from her friends. And, even now, she pulled away from him, seeking solitude. He feared for her sanity. Each fragment that she remembered changed her, altering her in small or large ways.

 

She now spoke and read several dialects of goa'uld. She sometimes had nightmares or waking dreams in which she'd relive certain memories.

 

At times, he felt that she was slipping away. That Samantha Carter was getting lost in the chaos that was Jolinar.

 

And he did not think that there was a thing he could do about it.

 

 

 

Hours later, he opened his eyes, the soft pad of footsteps pulling him from his meditation. He looked up from his place before the fire to watch Captain Carter maker her way across the small room to take a seat at their table. "I freaked out, didn't I?" she asked, pushing her hand through her hair.

 

"You found Dala's memories most overwhelming," he answered, seeing no reason to lie to her. He picked up a pot of hot water from beside the fire and poured it into two mugs, making wasik, a Jaffa simulative drink akin to the Tau'ri tea. He reached up and handed one to her before getting to his feet and joining her at the table.

 

"Thanks." She wrapped her hands around the crockery mug and took a careful sip. "It wasn't just that the memories were bad," she said softly. "Although the Jaffa that took her as a slave was a real bastard. She just lived for about fifty more years as Jolinar's host and…" She looked at him ruefully. "I just wish I could get these in littler chunks."

 

"What do you remember?"

 

"She was happy. Her family was killed in a raid. Her husband and son murdered before her eyes. A Jaffa named P'Tak led the raid. He took her as his slave. He was a real piece of work. He'd abuse her. He kept her on a leash, just like a dog, if he left. He kept her for ten years. She cooked and cleaned and he raped her and beat her and would pass her off to his friends. Then he'd go on a successful raid and he'd bring her back pretty dresses or trinkets and treat her nice then he'd get pissed off and lock her in a closet or chain her to the wall." She shuddered. "He just about drove her crazy."

 

"And Jolinar?"

 

"Martouf and Lantash infiltrated the planet for something. They found her alone in the house, chained up. They offered her a choice. They'd free her if she agreed to host Jolinar."

 

"She agreed."

 

"Yeah. She was a host for almost fifty years until she got caught in a raid and was hurt too badly and Jolinar moved on."

 

Teal'c nodded, not surprised by the cruelty of this P'Tak.  Such actions were far from rare. "You mentioned Trealana," he prodded.

 

She nodded, taking a sip of the drink. "That was the planet P'Tak took her to. A lot of Cronos' Jaffa live there."

 

"It is a garrison planet?"

 

"No." She shook her head. "Cronos doesn't like it. The planet's too cold. It's more of an armed outpost, the suburbs so to speak. It's pretty deep in Cronos' territory so it's relatively safe. We just need a new cover story. I just don't think our 'widow searching for her husband's family' story will work."

 

Teal'c looked at her. "Why?"

 

"Women are trophies on Trealana. That's one reason P'Tak was able to treat Dala like that for so long. The head priest was a real misogynist. I walk in there alone and I'm probably going to find myself shackled to a wall. That or auctioned off to the highest bidder." She raised her hand and plucked at a strand of hair. "I wonder if I cut it short if I can pass for a man?"

 

"That is unlikely," he said. "And unnecessary. You shall not go to Trealana alone," he said. "You shall travel as my wife."

 

She shook her head. "Teal'c, you can't go there. They'll take one look at your tattoo and shoot you on sight."

 

Teal'c smiled. "To take offense at my tattoo, they must first see it." She frowned at him. "I will require your assistance, in the morning," he said, reaching out to take her drink from her. "You must sleep and I must prepare."

 

"Prepare for what?" she pressed.

 

"I shall tell you in the morning."

 

"Teal'c—"

 

"Captain Carter," he interrupted. "Please trust that I have a plan. You have done your part to provide planets, now please allow me to do my part to assist our endeavor."

 

She stared and he prepared himself, ready to insist. "Something tells me I'm so not going to like this," she muttered, getting to her feet. "And maybe if I wasn't so damn tired, I'd get pissy about it. I'll see you in the morning."

 

She retreated into her room, closing the door behind her. Relieved to have this time alone, Teal'c retook his position before the fire, easily slipping back into Kelnoreem. He centered his mind and found his peace, aware that he would need every scrap of peace to carry out his plan.

 

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

"No."

 

"Captain Carter."

 

"NO," she repeated.

 

"It is the only way," he said, holding a knife by the blade.

 

"Not just no, HELL NO!" She batted at the knife, knocking it from his hand. It fell to the stone floor, clattering loudly.

 

He sighed softly, bending down and picking it up. "I would not ask you to do this if I felt that I could do it myself."

 

"You don't need to be doing it at all," she insisted, sickened at what he'd suggested.

 

"I disagree."

 

"Teal'c—"

 

"Captain Carter, for eighty years, this has defined who I am and what I had to do." He gestured towards his face and the golden tattoo glittering in the morning sun. "Upon the battlefield, it insured that my men would obey my orders just as it signified that I was only responsible to Apophis. It has defined every aspect of my life. It has kept T'Resa from me for decades and I will not allow it to deny me the ability to search for the last member of my family. This brand is the last link of the chains that have held me in bondage for most of my life. I ask you to help me break that bond."

 

"Teal'c…maybe we can find a healer—"

 

"My primta will heal the wound." He held out the knife. "Please."

 

"I don't know if I can do this, Teal'c," she said, staring at the knife.

 

"You possess more strength than you believe."

 

She took the knife, the blade shaking wildly in her hand. "If I do this it's…it's gonna leave one hell of a scar," she said.

 

"It will be preferable to the scar of slavery that I have borne for most of my life."

 

"It's gonna hurt like hell. We don't have any pain killers strong enough to handle anything like this."

 

"When I was branded, I meditated to attain a deep state of kelnoreem. I shall do this again. What pain I might feel is a small price to pay for freedom," he said, chipping away at her excuses.

 

"There's a lot of nerves in the face. I might cut one of them and—"

 

"Captain Carter," he interrupted. "This is the last course of action left open to us. You cannot journey to Trealana alone and I cannot as First Prime of Apophis. We can, however, as a repatriated captive accompanied by his wife on a journey to seek her kin."

 

"I don't want to do this, Teal'c," she said.

 

"Of that I am aware, however I do not have anyone else to ask. And I do not believe that I can do it myself. Therefore, I have no choice but to ask this of you."

 

She turned her back and walked towards the door, opening it and stepping outside. Teal'c remained inside, watching as she paced slowly back and forth. She stopped, one hand scrubbing over her face while the knife still clasped from her other hand. "You better come out here," she said.

 

"Captain Carter?"

 

"We're not getting blood all over the floor."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Teal'c opened his eyes, gritting his teeth against the pain that act produced. The skin above his eyes felt as if it was on fire and his every expression pained him. Yet it was a small price to pay. He slowly looked around. He was still seated on the ground where Captain Carter had insisted upon performing the procedure. His neck itched and he raised his hand, his fingers encountering the sticky feeling of drying blood. A quick look down confirmed that his chest too was stained.

 

Spying the knife lying abandoned on the ground, he picked it up, using it as a mirror to examine Captain Carter's work. The place where his brand used to be was hidden by a gauze bandage and he reached up, slowly unwinding it. The blood stiffened pad fell away in his hands to reveal a raw patch of flesh, red and angry looking against his dark skin.

Despite the pain, he smiled. It was gone. The symbol of his blindness and stupidity was gone.

 

And, he realized, so was his companion.

 

Teal'c slowly got to his feet and looked around, searching for a sign of Captain Carter. Around him, the remnants of the village was quiet, only the breeze and the song of a few birds breaking the stillness.

 

Unbecomingly unsteady on his feet, he staggered towards the well, intending to wash the blood from his face. He found Captain Carter sitting beside the well, a bucket of water at her side.

 

"Captain Carter?" he said when she didn't respond to his presence.

 

"Oh, Teal'c, hi." She turned her back to him and scrubbed her hands over her face. "I was going to bring some water so that you could get cleaned up."

 

Her voice was heavy and choked and he could tell that she had been crying. "Captain Carter—"

 

"How many times do I have to tell you, lose the captain," she interrupted, reaching into the bucket to pull out a piece of cloth that she twisted to wring out the excess water.

 

He reached out and laid his hand over hers. "You are distressed," he said.

 

"Distressed? Distressed!" Her voice rose and she looked at him, anger glittering in her eyes. "You're damn right I'm _distressed_ ," she bit out the word. "I…what you had me do…"

 

"What you did is an act that I will be grateful for forever," he said. "I only regret that I had not thought of it sooner so that I could have accompanied you without expecting you to bear the burden of my quest."

 

"Are you forgetting that it was my idea to be here in the first place?" she said. "You didn't make me come. If anything, I tricked you into me coming along."  
  


"An act of loyalty that I shall never forget. Nor will I ever forget the freedom you have given to me today. I am no longer the First Prime of Apophis. I could only hope that the sins of my past would be so easily shed."

 

She sniffed and looked away, pulling her hands from under his. "I should go and scare up something to eat. You should get cleaned up and eat and then meditate so you can heal. If we're going to pull off this 'repatriated captive' scenario that can't look fresh."

 

She got to her feet and slowly walked away, leaving Teal'c alone at the well. Aware that she needed time on her own to deal with what had happened, he let her be and started to clean himself up. Realizing that the task was greater than a simple rag could handle, Teal'c abandoned the well and slowly made his way towards a stream that ran near the village. It was time to cleanse himself in more ways than one.

 

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

"I miss MALP's," Sam said, shivering as she hunched her shoulders and tucked her hands into her jacket pocket.

 

"I fail to see how a MALP would alter our situation," Teal'c said, annoyingly not effected by the cold.

 

"We'd have at least known to wear a jacket," she said. "Why does it have to be winter," she complained. "I hate winter. I've hated it ever since Colonel O'Neill and I got stuck in that damn ice cave." She shuddered, thinking longingly of her polar fleece shirts and long underwear stored in a box in her basement.

 

They hadn't really gotten around to provisioning for winter, in fact they hadn't even discussed what to do when the seasons turned, whether or not they were going to stay in the house or if they were going to find another one somewhere warmer.

 

"Nearly every planet that I have been on has a changing seasons," he said. "If you wish, you may return home. I shall continue on my own."

 

"And leave your pregnant wife behind?" she asked, gesturing towards her padded belly. That was an idea Teal'c had come up with as he convalesced as a way to further deter the males of Trealana.  "Some gentleman you are."

 

"I would have thought that the extra padding would give you warmth."

 

She glared at him, unused to his teasing. Giving into familiarity, she smiled. "Yes, actually, my stomach is quite warm." She patted the padding under one of Teal'c's shirts. "I just hope no one wants to touch it."

 

"Jaffa do not possess the same lack of control often found amongst humans," Teal'c said. "None will dare to violate your person."

 

"It used to drive Dala nuts when people had to touch her belly," Sam said, drawing upon

one of Jolinar's host's memories. "She couldn't leave the house without one of the old women of the village touching her."

 

"Were many of Jolinar's hosts parents?"

 

"A few. A lot weren't. If they had a choice, the Tok'ra went for single or widowed people. Or anyone without a family to miss them."

 

"A logical course of action."

 

"It sometimes backfired on them. Especially when the ones that hadn't had families didn't understand when hosts had issues losing their families. It caused a lot of tension and some rifts," Sam said.

 

"And those that did have families?"

 

"They got to watch their loved ones die of old age. Yet another side effect they left out of the brochure." She stumbled slightly in the snow and he put out a hand to steady her.

 

"Thank--what?" she asked as he stared over her shoulder, his eyes riveted upon the tree line.

 

"Sentries," he muttered.

 

"Are they going to confront us?" she asked hoping that the sentries hadn't heard them speaking in English. Or didn't recognize the language.

 

"I believe so," Teal'c said as six warriors left the cover of the trees and walked towards them. Teal'c stepped forward, placing himself between them and her, the butt of his unarmed staff weapon planted on the ground.

 

"Teal'c?"

 

"Your place, my wife, is behind me," he replied in a voice just as soft as hers.

 

"And your place, my husband, is to not get your ass killed and leave me to raise this child on my own," she said, moving slightly, but not totally, behind him.

 

"Identify yourselves!" the leader demanded when he was close enough.

 

"I am T'Kar, this is my mate Shahala. We seek sanctuary."

 

"I do not know of you," the leader said, eying them warily.

 

"My husband was just recently liberated from one of Apophis' mines," Sam said.

 

"Not too recently," the man said, eying Sam's belly.

 

"And how does your mate greet you when you return?" she shot back, glaring defiantly.

 

Teal'c put a warning hand on her shoulder and she stepped back. "Forgive my wife in her condition," he said. "We but seek a safe place for the rest of her confinement. We were told that there was safety here."

 

"Indeed, there is," the leader said as his men moved closer. " He raised his weapon, his men following suit. "And it shall remain safe." His tone of voice changed and his eyes narrowed.

 

"We're no threat to you," Sam said. "If you don't want us here, we'll leave."

 

"Without your sanctuary?" the leader asked.

 

"Captivity is not sanctuary," Teal'c said.

 

"In the past weeks, word has spread. Simple visitors seeking information. We do not know of what, so my Lord has requested that all visitors be taken into custody and delivered directly to her. You will come with us."

 

Teal'c shook his head. "We will not. We will leave."

 

The leader nodded and, before Sam could react, one of the men grabbed her, wrapping his arm around her neck as he pulled his knife, holding it to her throat. "You will come, dead or alive, matters not. My Lord has given an order and I shall follow it."

 

Teal'c looked at her and Sam could tell that he was calculating the odds. There were only six of them, true, but the chances of overpowering the sentries without getting shot was slim. Teal'c held out his staff weapon. "Release my wife, and we shall go with you peacefully."

 

The leader took his staff weapon, then nodded to the other man who released Sam. She stepped away and moved closer to Teal'c, taking his hand like a wife would. Flanked by sentries, they tramped through the snow and Sam could only hope that they could talk

their way out of this one.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

Teal'c followed the sentries into a palace, doing his best to observe his surroundings. They were quite heavily guarded and he doubted their ability to fight their way free. In addition to the six guards surrounding them, he counted at least a dozen more, all armed.

The palace was situated in the middle of a small town with its streets laid out like spokes in a wheel. The town was protected by a high stone wall and a thick wooden gate. The ground rose slightly, guaranteeing that one walked uphill towards the palace and that, from its walls, someone would be able to see all of the city.

 

Although the air was foggy and chill, he could barely make out the lights of a temple upon the top of an adjoining hill, itself surrounded by stone walls as well. As they walked, he could hear the sounds of livestock and knew that, while this wasn't a garrison planet, it was well inhabited.

 

He noticed several servants in the halls of the palace and glanced down at Captain Carter, affirming that she saw them too. She met his gaze and shook her head slightly, signaling that she had reached the same conclusion as him, they would not fight their way out of here. Not and live.

 

They stopped before a heavy, ornate door and Teal'c knew that his had to be the throne room. The leader opened the door and Sam and Teal'c followed him in, the rest of the sentries at their back. "Chasen, what is the meaning of this?" the goa'uld asked, her voice carrying across the large room. She was seated on an ornate throne, her crimson dress cut in a manner to accentuate her host's body. The woman's long blond hair was styled simply and ruby like jewels adorned her ears, throat and fingers with a ribbon device wrapped around her left wrist.

 

"Visitors, my Lord Zaran," Chasen said, not raising his eyes. "As you have ordered, I have brought them to you."

 

"And you have done well," she complimented, crossing her legs. Her dress fell open, revealing an expanse of bare skin. "Speak."

 

"I am T'Kar, this is my mate Shahala. We seek sanctuary while she awaits the birth of our child," Teal'c said, kneeling behind Chasen. He sensed Captain Carter following suit, kneeling at his side.

 

"And that is all you seek?" Zaran asked, getting to her feet. "Sanctuary?"

 

"Yes, my Lord," Teal'c said. "I will gladly work to earn our daily bread."

 

Zaran stepped off her dais and walked towards him. "And whom do you serve?" she asked. "I see no brand upon your forehead."

 

"I am a loyal servant of Cronos," Teal'c answered. "Many moons ago, I was captured by Apophis. I was sent as a slave to one of his mines. It was there that my mark was removed."

 

"A tragic tale," she said, walking slowly behind him. Teal'c fought the urge to turn and follow her, knowing that, to do so, would be seen as an act of ultimate disrespect. He could only hope that Captain Carter controlled herself. Even the excuse of pregnancy would not save her if this Zaran chose to punish her. "And your mate?" Zaran asked. "What can she do for me?"

 

"She is most knowledgeable," Teal'c said. "She will do as your Lord wishes."

 

Zaran came back to stand in front of them and Teal'c strove to keep himself calm. They had to succeed in gaining sanctuary. Or, at the very least, avoid being taken as prisoners.

"You must understand why my Jaffa are so wary," Zaran said. "There are many tales being told. Stories of a pair searching, questioning. Why, there is even a rumor that they attacked some of our own and nearly killed a woman."

 

Teal'c heard Captain Carter's small intake of breath and knew that their subterfuge had failed. They had not acted swiftly enough and Zaran knew who they were. He tensed, prepared to fight even as he acknowledged that it would accomplish little. Perhaps if he could take Zaran hostage they could use her...

 

"Marshala," Captain Carter muttered. Unfamiliar with the word, Teal'c looked over at her. She was staring at Zaran, her gaze slightly unfocused and her head cocked to one side. "My Lord Zaran, do you of a woman named Marshala?"

 

Teal'c looked to Zaran and frowned as the woman paled. She stared at Captain Carter, her brows knit with puzzlement. "I have heard of the name," Zaran finally said.

 

"She was a friend of mine and we seek to regain her acquaintance."

 

Zaran nodded slowly. "I understand." She shook her head as if to clear her mind.

"Chasen, leave us."

 

"My Lord?"

 

"Thank you for bringing these visitors to me. You shall be rewarded. Now please, leave us in privacy."

 

"Yes, my Lord." Chasen got to his feet and slowly left the room. Still not quite sure what had happened, Teal'c looked from Zaran to Captain Carter and back.

 

Captain Carter slowly got to her feet and smiled. "I know that you will not recognize me," she said softly.

 

"Who are you?" Zaran asked, just as quietly. "And why are you in the presence of a Jaffa?" She spit out the word, almost as if Teal'c was a leper.

 

"He is my friend. You once knew me as Jolinar of Malkshur," she said.

 

Zaran frowned and stared, her eyes going out of focus. "You do not carry a symbiote."

 

"I did. Jolinar died within me. She left me with her memories. That is how I knew your name. If you would like I can list your hosts, or, perhaps, you would prefer that I list your lovers. Although that may take a while, you always had a most adventurous spirit and the list is quite long."

 

Zaran smiled and blushed, her brusque demeanor fading. "I do not believe that will be necessary. Why are you here? Your presence endangers--"

 

"Only if you let it," Captain Carter interrupted. "My friend seeks his kin, she was on Kalana when it was attacked. We were told that she may have sought sanctuary here."

 

Zaran shook her head, "Kalana was months ago."

 

"And we have been searching just as long," Teal'c said, also rising to his feet. He pulled the necklace out of his pocket. "She possessed this." He held the necklace out so that Zaran could see.

 

The woman took it. "It is fine craftsmanship, but I know little of those that sought refuge here beyond the fact that they did."

 

"Is there anywhere where we can ask," Captain Carter said. "All he wants to know is if she's alive."

 

Zaran nodded. "The temple. Someone there will know. They assisted with many of the refugees."

 

"We will go there," Teal'c said.

 

"You may, but the priests will not speak to her," Zaran said. "If I were not their Lord, they would not speak to me."

 

"I can wait outside," Captain Carter offered.

 

"You will wait here," Zaran said.

 

"No," Teal'c said, not liking the idea of them being separated. If Jolinar really had known Zaran years prior, they had no way of knowing if the woman was still sympathetic to the Tok'ra, or if she would betray them.

 

Zaran stared at him. "We are both Egeria's children," she whispered. "I give you my word, she will be safe."

 

"It's okay," Captain Carter said. "I believe her. I'll be safe here."

 

"Shahala."

 

"I'll be fine," she insisted.

 

"You should go," Zaran said. "If you make haste, you can reach the temple and return before nightfall. If not, please stay there for the night. The woods are not safe after the sun – such as it is – sets. Shahala will be accorded every courtesy and will be awaiting you upon your return."

 

Teal'c still waited, torn between hurrying to the temple to speak to the priest and insisting that he remain in Captain Carter's company.

 

"Go," she urged. "Zaran and I will catch up on old times."

 

Bowing his gratitude, Teal'c agreed to the terms, barely waiting for Zaran to summon Chasen and inform the man that he was to have free and safe passage to the temple, before he hurried out into the snow, nearly running to the temple.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

"Catch up on old times," Zaran said after Teal'c left. "That is an odd turn of phrase."

 

Sam looked at her. "Oh, it's from my planet," she said, looking around the room. Like throne rooms everywhere, or at least the others she'd been in, there was a near total lack of furnishings, namely somewhere to sit. And she kinda doubted that it wouldn't be cool if she took Zaran's seat.

 

"Perhaps we should retire to somewhere more comfortable," Zaran suggested.

 

"That would be nice," Sam said, still tugging her jacket around her. She hadn't been exaggerating when she said that she was cold. Not to mention that her boots weren't exactly waterproof and her feet were distinctly soggy.

 

Zaran led her out of the throne room and down a narrow corridor that fed into a spacious chamber. "Please, sit," Zaran said, motioning towards two chairs sitting in front of a large fire place.

 

Sam sat down, stretching out her legs as she held out her hands towards the heat. Zaran joined her, handing her a goblet of wine. "You said that Jolinar died?"

 

"Yeah," Sam said, taking a sip of the wine. "She was hiding from the Ashrak and her host got hurt. She jumped into me and came home with me. What we didn't know was that the Ashrak followed us. It tried to kill us, but Jolinar made sure that it only killed her." She took another drink of the wine, using it to steady her nerves. Her time with Jolinar still wasn't a topic she liked to discuss, even having full access to the memories the Tok'ra had left behind.

 

"You survived? That's quite astonishing. Not many hosts survive the deaths of their symbiotes."

 

"We were only blended for a few days. That probably had something to do with it," Sam said. She was tired of hearing how extraordinary she was. There was nothing extraordinary about surviving. Not when someone else had to die to make it happen.

 

"And your friend?" Zaran asked.

 

"He saved my life," Sam said. "He's not just a Jaffa. He wants nothing more than to have his people stop serving the goa'uld and be free."

 

Zaran shook her head. "Free? The Jaffa?" She laughed. "They are nothing but children. Without a god to follow—"

 

"They'd make their own decisions," Sam said. "Fight for what they want to fight for instead of where they're sent to fight. Don't underestimate them."

 

"You side with the Jaffa?" Zaran asked.

 

"I side with anyone that wants to be free," Sam answered. "The humans aren't the only ones rebelling against the goa'uld."

 

"People have been rebelling for centuries, it has yet to be successful." Sam ignored the woman's words and rearranged her legs, idly watching little wisps of steam rise off her boots. Her arm twinged and she idly rubbed it, seeking to massage out the ache. Oddly enough, the cold only exacerbated her arm, making even the muscles ache.

 

"Are you injured?" Zaran asked.

 

"What? No," Sam said. "Or, it's nothing recent. It happened months ago." Zaran raised her eyebrows and Sam sighed. "Someone who knew what the goa'uld were saw the lump of the symbiote in my neck and thought it was alive." She looked down at her hands. "They tried to cut it out." She smiled ironically. "At least my friends stopped them before they killed me."

 

"There was damage?"

 

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Nerve damage."

 

Zaran nodded. "I would offer to use the healing stone, but I doubt it would assist much on such an old injury."

 

Sam shrugged. "Yeah." She had thought of the healing stone and even spent a few nights probing Jolinar's memories on how to use the device and its limits and abilities. And she had to agree. Maybe if she'd had access to it right after she'd gotten hurt – and had a Tok'ra or goa'uld handy to run it – then maybe it would have helped.

 

"The healing stone can't help…but a sarcophagus could."

 

Sam stared. "You have a sarcophagus?"

 

Zaran smiled. "Well, I do not, but Cronos does. He just happens to keep it here."

 

Sam shook her head. "They're addictive," she said. "I can't use it."

 

"Only if you use it when you are healthy, or repeatedly. It is most likely that your injury would stave its addictive properties."

 

"Likely?"

 

Zaran shrugged. "Nothing in life is certain. However, would the risk not be well taken if it healed your pain?"

 

Sam stared at her hand, the fingers of her right hand massaging the numbness of her left. Could it really work? Could it make the pain go away? Could the sarcophagus really heal such an old injury?  The sarcophagus did work miracles, it could raise the dead. But raising the dead was different from repairing the microscopic fibers of a nerve.

 

"You may need to wait, however," Zaran said.

 

"What?"

 

"Your child. I do not know if a sarcophagus will harm an unborn child or not."

 

"Oh, that." Sam felt her face color. "It's not real." Zaran gaped. "It was a way to discourage anyone that didn't find me being married as enough of a deterrent."

 

"Ah," Zaran said. "Quite understandable. Then we will not have to wait, if you do not wish to."

 

Sam got to her feet and moved towards the fire, staring into the flames. She'd be vulnerable in the sarcophagus. If anything happened or went wrong, she'd be trapped. And that meant that Teal'c would be trapped too, because he wouldn't leave without her.

 

Of course, it shouldn’t take all that long. A couple of hours perhaps, maybe even less. Teal'c wouldn't be back from the temple for several hours at least. She could possibly be done before he even got to the temple, much less returned.

 

"Let's do it," Sam said, refusing to think about it anymore. If she was wrong, she'd deal with it.

 

Zaran smiled and got to her feet. "Come. The sooner the process begins, the sooner it is finished."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

Teal'c pounded on the heavy door, grateful that there was no one around to witness just how hard he was breathing. He had found the climb up to the temple to be most challenging, deep snow adding to a steep incline to make a path that was more than a little treacherous.

 

The temple was a large stone structure perched high on a hill overlooking the town and palace. A high turret anchored each corner of the temple, creating four lookout points. That and a lack of trees around the top of the hill made it nearly impossible for one to approach it in stealth.

 

A smaller panel in the large door opened and a man dressed in cleric's robes stood there, his face guarded. "Yes?"

 

"My Lord Zaran sent me. I am to speak to the head priest," Teal'c said, willingly using names to ease his way.

 

"The hour is late," the priest said. "Tek'mate Gra'han is soon to retire."

 

"I come on a matter of most urgency," Teal'c said, not willing to let an old man's time of sleeping keep him from what he needed to know. He had come too far to allow such a trivial matter to stop him.

 

"Tek'mate Gra'han—"

 

"Is subject to the wishes of his lord, as are we," Teal'c said. "Lord Zaran sent me to speak to Tek'mate Gra'han. And I must do so with all haste."

 

The priest sighed and stood back, permitting Teal'c entrance. The priest re-secured the panel, then bade Teal'c to follow him as he led him into the interior of the temple. As he walked, he could see a few priests going about their daily duties, some cooking, some cleaning, many pacing slowly back and forth, their eyes closed as they meditated.

 

The heady smell of incense assailed Teal'c's nostrils as they walked into the inner sanctum of the temple. The priest gave him one last look, as if to verify that Teal'c was indeed going to disturb his master, before he knocked on a carved door. Teal'c heard a gruff invitation to enter before the priest opened the door, standing aside to allow Teal'c to proceed him.

 

Teal'c stepped into Gra'han's chambers, nearly taken aback by the wave of heat that swept over him. Not only did flames lick merrily at a large log in an equally large hearth, banks of candles lined two of the walls and another fire burned in a large iron pit at the foot of the bed. "Who disturbs me?" a gravely voice asked, emerging from an alcove in the wall.

 

Tek'mate Gra'han looked much as Teal'c expected.  The man was old, his sparse hair a brilliant white. Sweat kept it plastered close to his skull, something that made his face look even more gaunt than it really was.

 

His skin was lined and rough, the product of many of years exposure to wind and weather. His ceremonial robes hung from a peg on the wall and the man instead wore a lighter robe, cinched at his thin waist by a length of cord. Bare, gnarled feet peeked out from the hem and a roll of parchment was clasped in hands equally as time worn.

 

"I am T'Kar," Teal'c said, kneeling on one knee. "Lord Zaran bade me to seek your counsel."

 

"What does that meddling female want now?" Gra'han growled, tossing the parchment down upon a desk. He sat down in a chair and looked over at Teal'c. "Well, what is it?"

 

"I seek information, Tek'mate," Teal'c said, looking up at the man. "About the refugees of Kalana."

 

"That rabble? What do you want with them?" Gra'han reached for a carafe and poured himself a tankard of brigata – something that reminded Teal'c of the Tau'ri beverage beer.

 

"I seek one of them, Tek'mate." Teal'c got to his feet and pulled T'Resa's necklace out of his pocket. He stepped towards Gra'han and held it out. "This belongs to her. I seek word of her condition."

 

"Bah!" Gra'han took a deep drink of his brigata and glared balefully at the necklace.  "If it's a female you seek, the village is full of them. I'm sure Zaran will allow you to take your choice."

 

"I seek no random female," Teal'c said. "I seek the owner of this necklace. Her name may be T'Resa."

 

"A few hundred of those rabble came here. All of them needing and wanting, crying and screaming." He sighed heavily and took another drink.  "Very few stayed, a fact for which I am very grateful."

 

Teal'c pushed down his irritation and fought to keep a calm expression on his face. He did not know how long Gra'han had been the high priest here, but if his current attitude was any indication, Teal'c could see precisely why Dala had suffered during her time on this planet. And, at the moment, he half hoped that T'Resa was not here since this did not seem to be a very well administered planet.

 

"Do you know of the few that remain," Teal'c asked. "Perhaps they possess knowledge of T'Resa."

 

"No," Gra'han said flatly. "I do not know and I do not care. Take your bauble and find yourself another female." He got to his feet, the tankard still in his hand. "Now, it is time for me to retire. You will leave."

 

With difficulty, Teal'c swallowed his anger and frustration. The man was a priest, after all. And deserved respect, even if he did little to earn it.

 

"Thank you for your time," Teal'c replied.

 

He left the room, resisting the urge to slam the door behind him. This was yet another wasted effort. He stopped for a second, closing his eyes as he tried to control his emotions. It should not be this difficult. One woman. That was all he was searching for. One woman.  Was he destined to never find his sister?

 

"Tek'mate Gra'han is quite the charming sort, is he not?" Teal'c opened his eyes, frowning at a priest standing beside him. "I presume that he rejected whatever you sought of him."

 

"Indeed," Teal'c said, studying the man. He wore the robes of a lower cleric, the material coarse and poorly woven. The man wore heavy boots upon his feet and a shock of thick black hair covered his head. He looked to be just as old at Gra'han, but his face bore the marks of a warrior. It was marred with scars and his eyes bore the sadness of too many witnessed atrocities and horrors.

 

"The years have not been kind to Tek'mate Gra'han. He joined the order shortly after his mate betrayed him for another. His temperament has not been the same since." He clasped Teal'c's arm. "Come, it is too late in the day to return to the palace. You may rest yourself is my chambers until morning."

 

"I would be most grateful," Teal'c answered, not looking forward to a long, cold walk in the dark.

 

The man smiled and motioned for Teal'c to follow him. They made their way towards the outer walls of the temple and into a small cell of a room. It was clear that not all the priest had access to Gra'han's level of comfort.

 

"It is simple, yet what does a man really need?" the man said.

 

"What does he need, indeed?" The man motioned for Teal'c to sit at a small table while he pulled a cloth wrapped chunk of bread, some cheese and a carafe of wine out of a small pantry. He set the food on the table and Teal'c noticed why the man was here. His right arm was wasted and twisted, the fingers gnarled into a macabre shape.

 

Teal'c took some of the simple food, eating it hungrily. "If you do not mind me asking, what are you seeking?"

 

Chewing on his bread, Teal'c swallowed as he reached into his pocket and again pulled out the necklace. "I seek the owner of this," he said. The man took it from him and Teal'c swore that he saw the color drain from the man's face. "She was on Kalana and I believe that she sought refuge here. I was hoping that Tek'mate Gra'han could tell me where she may be."

 

The man raised his eyes from the necklace and stared at Teal'c. "You…who are you?"

 

"I am T'Kar—"

 

"No. Your father. Who is your father?"

 

"What is your name?" Teal'c asked, the man's demeanor setting his mood on edge.

 

"I am R'ikon, and I believe that I knew your father. You are Teal'c, are you not?"

 

"R'ikon."

 

 

Strong arms hurrying him along. Comforting Mother. A deep, calming voice, whispering reassurances as they fled for their lives.

 

 

A voice that he was hearing just now.

 

 

"You warned us," Teal'c said, looking at the man with fresh eyes. "You told Mother that Cronos was going to have us killed and you helped us flee."

 

R'ikon smiled. "That I did. And Cronos never knew."

 

"You took T'Resa. I remember that. You took her to keep her safe. You swore that you would protect her with your life."

 

"Yes, I did. She was heartbroken when she realized that she lost this. I do not believe that she has ever taken it off." R'ikon took the pendant and rubbed it with his rough fingers.

 

"She is alive?" Teal'c said, focusing on the man's words.

 

"Indeed, she is very much alive. She lives down in the village."

 

Teal'c shot to his feet. "I must see her."

 

"No." R'ikon said, also getting to his feet. "You cannot."

 

"You do not understand. I have been searching for her for months."

 

"You are Teal'c. Even without a brand, you are known. You were the First Prime of Apophis, sworn enemy of Cronos. Do you know what will happen if people discover whom T'Resa is? They will kill her in vengeance for every atrocity visited upon them by Apophis."

 

"I will take her away from here," Teal'c said. "I know of a safe place. She will come with me and we shall live as a family once again."

 

R'ikon shook his head. "It will not work."

 

"You do not know. It will work. Take me to her."

 

"No," R'ikon said.

 

"TAKE ME!" Teal'c said harshly, grabbing the man's arms and pushing him towards the all.

 

"Teal'c—"

 

"I…I beg of you. Take me to her," Teal'c said, forcing himself to calm down.

 

R'ikon stared at him and sighed. "I see you inherited Ronak's stubborn streak. You will not believe until you see for yourself. I will take you. But we must make haste. Even with a full moon to light the way, the trail is dangerous."

 

Teal'c let him go and stepped back. "I thank you," he said.

 

"We will see if you still thank me once you see her." R'ikon pushed himself off the wall and puttered about the room, gathering up a few bits and pieces before he tossed a heavy cloak about his shoulders, unhindered by his damaged arm. He stopped beside the door and looked back. "I thought you wished to see her."

 

Suitably chastised, Teal'c followed the man out of his room, through the corridors of the temple and out into the gathering dusk.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

R'ikon made his way down the path, taking a small amount of amusement as he heard his companion's feet stumble and slip upon the trail. He himself may be a kek old man, but we was much more familiar with this trail than Teal'c as he obtained supplies from the village every few days.

 

Fortunately, Teal'c had remained silent most of their journey. A fact that R'ikon was grateful for. Although he was familiar with the trail, traversing it even with the light of the moon, was difficult and he had no desire to misstep and injure himself.

 

Finally, they reached a flat part of the trail and R'ikon felt confident enough to speak to his companion. "I heard that you betrayed Apophis and have been deemed sholva," R'ikon said.

 

"I did," Teal'c said.

 

"And the first ones?"

 

"The people of the Tau'ri do exist," Teal'c said. "I lived with them for over a year."

 

"And the rumors of Ra's death?" R'ikon asked.

 

"Ra is dead," Teal'c said. "The Tau'ri did kill him and freed the people of Abydos."

 

"Then it is indeed a time of change."

 

"Yes, it is," Teal'c agreed. They reached the outskirts of the village and R'ikon paused, turning to face Teal'c.

 

"Please, be judicious with your speech. It is believed that the armies of Apophis attacked Kalana. Even though you are sholva, you could be blamed if they recognize you. And I can do nothing to assist you. My responsibility is to these people."

 

"I understand," Teal'c said.

 

R'ikon nodded and glanced into the village for a moment before turning back to Teal'c.

"After I got you and your mother through the chappai, as I promised your mother, I took T'Resa to the next village. There lived Fahra. Her husband had been killed and her only child had died of fever just days before. She still had milk and could care for T'Resa, passing the child off as her own."

 

"She accepted T'Resa?"

 

R'ikon nodded. "I visited as frequently as I could without raising suspicions. T'Resa grew healthy and strong and never knew of her past. It was only when she reached adulthood that Fahra gave her the necklace and told her that she was not her own child. T'Resa accepted this and continued with her life. She found a mate and left Fahra's home. She was living upon Kalana with her husband when the attack occurred. They fled and sought refuge here."

 

"She is married?" Teal'c asked.

 

"Yes. Which is why I do not believe that you will be able to remove her from this place. Her husband lives here. He is amongst Cronos' most highly trusted guards. He will not bear well the news that you and his wife are siblings."

 

"I must see her," Teal'c said.

 

"I beg of you, do not tell her who you are. Do not tell her who she is. Do not destroy her life," R'ikon begged.

 

"Take me to her or I shall pound on every door until I find her," Teal'c declared.

 

R'ikon closed his eyes, regretting his weakness in responding to the sight of the necklace. He should have lied, should have protected her better. "R'ikon."

 

"As you wish," R'ikon said, sighing.

 

He led Teal'c deeper into the village, winding in and out amongst the small buildings. They passed a pub, with light and noise spilling out into the chilly night and made their way down a winding street until R'ikon stopped in front of a house. "Please," he said, putting a restraining hand on Teal'c's arm. "Please do not tell her who you are."

 

"Is this her home?"

 

R'ikon nodded and Teal'c stepped forward, pounding lightly on the door. Despite the late hour, it opened and Teal'c stood there, staring at the woman standing before him.

 

"Yes?"

 

R'ikon stepped forward, placing himself between Teal'c and T'Resa. "Janica, please forgive the lateness of the hour."

 

"R'ikon, what brings you here from the temple?" she asked.

 

"A visitor who needs to speak to you." R'ikon looked to Teal'c, hoping that the man would find his tongue.

 

A thin cry floated out of the house and Janica sighed. "You had best come in. And close the door. Mistress Laina is most intolerant of the cries."

 

She retreated into the home and R'ikon paused, finally giving Teal'c a small push to get him over the threshold before he followed him and shut the door.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Teal'c stood just inside the door, staring in amazement as T'Resa – no, her name was Janica now – crossed to a cradle sitting near the hearth. She picked up a bundle and held the child close, soothing it with practiced ease. "Please, make yourselves at home. R'ikon, serve our guest something to drink if you do not mind," she invited.

 

R'ikon walked past Teal'c and began to rummage in the pantry, pulling out a bowl of dried fruit and a flagon of drink. He served it and motioned for Teal'c to take a seat at the table. Teal'c sat, still unable to tear his eyes away from his sister.

 

She reminded him of his memories of his mother. Long, dark hair spilled down her back, restrained in a loose braid. Her skin was dark and clear, unmarked by scars and unmarred by the signs of age. Dark eyes peeked up at him before she efficiently unswaddled the infant, draping the blanket over her shoulder as a veil as she unfastened her bodice, settling the child to her breast. With her free hand, she gratefully took the cup R'ikon set out for her, taking a drink before turning her attention to Teal'c. "I did not hear your name, stranger," she said, setting down the cup.

 

"He is—"

 

"T'Kar," Teal'c interrupted, in an instant understanding R'ikon's fear for the woman.

 

"We are well met, T'Kar. You suffer from a most odd injury."

 

Teal'c raised his hand, his fingers feeling the puckered skin where his brand used to be. "I was a prisoner," he said, letting those four words explain.

 

She nodded. "R'ikon said that you needed to speak to me. I do not know of what. I do not recall ever meeting you."

 

"It was a very long time ago," Teal'c said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his mother's necklace, rubbing the gold with his fingers before he held it up so that she could see. "I believe that this is yours," he said.

 

Her face lit up and she smiled widely. "Praise Cronos. How did you discover this?" She leaned forward, holding out her free hand. "I thought it lost forever."

 

"I came upon Kalana soon after the attack. I found this in the rubble and knew that such a piece would be dearly missed," he said, watching the joy wash over her face as she stared at the pendant.

 

"You cannot perceive the grief I felt when I realized that I had lost this." She looked up to him, tears glittering in her hazel eyes.  "This was my mother's. It is all I possess of her. According to R'ikon, it was an item she never removed until the day she surrendered me."

 

"Your mother did not raise you?"

 

Janica shook her head. "She fell ill and could not. She gave me to Fahra, who raised me as her own."

 

"The fever," R'ikon said, looking at Teal'c. "It happened to many people that season." Teal'c heard the desperation in the man's voice, mixed with gratitude for not openly contradicting the woman's perception of her past.

 

"Indeed," Teal'c said. "Did you have a happy life?" he asked, desperate for some knowledge.

 

Janica frowned. "How could I not? Fahra loved me as her own. She guided me and protected me until she could find me a mate. My husband cares for and respects me. He has given me a son, and I hope that he will give me more children." She set down the necklace and removed the child from her breast, fastening her bodice before raising the child to her shoulder to aid in eliminating the air from its stomach.

 

"May I?" Teal'c asked, his eyes riveted upon the tiny form. Janica looked to R'ikon, who nodded, then held the infant up, allowing Teal'c to take him into his arms. The child was tiny, just a few moons old and weighed less than his staff weapon.

 

"I was due to give birth when Kalana was attacked. That is why we came here, and why we could not return to search for my necklace."

 

"He will grow to be a fine warrior," Teal'c said, holding out his hand so that the infant could grab his finger, his tiny fist barely able to grasp the full grown digit.

 

"Gods willing, yes," she said. "I have been most fortunate."

 

Teal'c handed the child back to her and picked up the necklace. "If you permit?" he said, holding it out. Janica frowned, then nodded, sitting still as Teal'c walked behind her and fastened the necklace around her neck. Just as he secured the clasp, the door opened and they all looked up, Teal'c's eyes growing wide at the identity of the arrival.

 

"Janica, R'ikon, what is this?"

 

"Chasen, please, T'Kar came to see your wife," R'ikon said, stepping forward.

 

"He found it," Janica said, getting to her feet and walking over to her husband.  "I do not know how but he found my necklace and returned it to me." She raised her hand, pointing out the pendant to her husband.

 

Chasen stared at Teal'c, his eyes appraising and protective. "I have completed my quest," Teal'c said. "And I will now take my leave."

 

"You must stay," Janica said. "Break bread with us, have a warm place to sleep for the night."

 

"It is a long walk back to the temple," Chasen said, almost grudgingly giving his hospitality.

 

"I thank you for your offer, but I must move on," he said, aware that if he remained much longer, he would not be able to maintain the subterfuge. He would have to tell her who he really was, who she really was. Tell her of her son's prestigious lineage.

 

Teal'c moved towards the door as Chasen and Janica stepped aside, allowing him to leave. "What is your son's name?" he asked. Chasen frowned. "So that I may know of him should our paths ever cross."

 

"Ro'nak," Janica said. "We wished to name him after R'ikon, who arranged for our safety here, but he insisted upon that name instead."

 

"Ro'nak," Teal'c repeated, struggling to suppress the wave of emotion that rose as he heard his father's name for the first time in decades. He looked at R'ikon, silently sending his gratitude. "That is a fine name. The name of a true warrior."

 

"Indeed," Chasen said, puffing his chest out in fatherly pride. "He shall be a warrior like no other and he shall achieve great feats in the name of his lord."

 

Teal'c nodded and turned on his heel, leaving R'ikon to say the proper farewells as he stepped out into the moonlight night.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Sam stretched out on the divan, sighing with pleasure as she felt nothing more than the simple stretching of muscles. She wiggled her fingers, still enjoying the simple act of actually feeling her fingers. A couple of hours in the sarcophagus and a few hours sleep had done wonders for Sam's well-being and peace of mind. It was now early morning on the planet, the sun just rising over the mountains and painting the white snow a palette of burnished oranges and golds.

 

"Thank you," she said, rolling her head to look at Zaran.

 

"I am pleased that the sarcophagus worked," the Tok'ra said, smiling in what Sam could only think was amusement. "You do realize that there was no need to suffer as you have in the past few months. All you needed to do was to find the Tok'ra and again become a host. I am sure that a symbiote could have healed the damage."

 

Sam's smile faded and she looked away. "I don't think in could have done that," she said softly. She looked back to Zaran. "It's all I can do to deal with the memories that I have. I don't think I can handle another few lifetimes' worth."

 

"You know as well as I do that a symbiote could help you," Zaran said. "I assist my host continually, filtering what she does and does not need to know. The human body is quite welcoming to us, even as their mind is not well developed enough to handle all that we know."

 

"Maybe some day," Sam said, acknowledging that it would be best to not burn a bridge. Without the power of the SGC behind them, she and Teal'c could use any ally they could find right now. And the Tok'ra were as good as any.

 

Zaran nodded. "I do not know the current base. I have been assigned here for many years, and likely will be for many years more. But, should you ever wish to make contact, I can include something in my reports with my contacts."

 

"Thank you," Sam said.

 

Zaran looked out the window. "Your friend should return soon. And then it would be best if you both left." Sam frowned. "Cronos has not visited here for many years, but, with the emergence of some new group of humans, the System Lords are in a turmoil. They seek to defeat this new foe, even as they do not understand them."

 

Sam nodded, staying silent even as she knew exactly who Zaran was talking about. Word of the Tau'ri defeat of Apophis was sure to have spread far and wide by now. Any defeat of the goa'uld was noteworthy, wiping out two hatak ships was sure to raise a few eyebrows in goa'uld circles.

 

"Leaving might be best, not just for us, but for you," Sam said. She had absolutely no desire whatsoever to run into a goa'uld. And she also knew that Zaran would have a hard enough time explaining the presence of a couple of strangers who stayed but a day.

Giving refuge to them for the long term would do nothing but draw attention to them. 

There was also the fact that, even without his tattoo, the longer they stayed amongst Cronos' Jaffa, the greater the odds that they'd run across someone that knew who Teal'c was.  And Zaran would have no choice but to make examples of them and hand them over to her lord, even if it was just to preserve her own identity.

 

Zaran nodded and got to her feet. "When T'Kar returns, please tell him to avail himself of the food before you leave. His weapon is placed by the door for him to retrieve."

 

Sam nodded and Zaran left her alone. Sam got to her feet and made her way over to the window, watching as the sun rose. Despite the chilly climate, it wasn't all that bad here. Of course, Sam knew that they couldn't even dream of staying. Even if she could find a place here, Teal'c never could. Any of Apophis' enemies wouldn't care a bit if he'd turned sholva, in fact, they'd probably love to kill him for that simple fact.  A feudal society like the goa'uld did not tolerate well any that dared to oppose them. And, in rebelling against his god and securing his freedom, Teal'c was the last thing they wanted around. Someone that could give hope to others and, perhaps, encourage them to rebel.

 

The snow also brought other worries to Sam's mind. She and Teal'c had never discussed what to do for winter at their small homestead. In fact, they had no idea how harsh winter even was on that planet. Maybe they should find another planet, one whose seasons was the direct opposite, that way they could migrate from home to home and never have to deal with winter and all the obstacles cold weather brought.

 

She thought longingly of her home back on Earth. The simple conveniences of electricity, gas heat and grocery stores. Things that made surviving far easier. Things that she left behind the day she coerced Teal'c into taking her with him.

 

She didn't regret it. Not really. She still felt that, had she remained, it would have been a struggle to keep her newfound knowledge from the NID, not to mention her own friends.

 

'I will never, ever, trust a goa'uld'

 

 

The colonel's words still haunted her. She never realized just how much she wanted and depended on his trust and support. How important those two feelings were to her. She didn't think that he'd ever be able to look past what she was to trust her again. And, without his trust, what else was there?

 

To keep her secret, she'd isolated herself from them. Holding herself apart, lest they see the knowledge lurking beneath the surface, knowledge she shouldn’t have. Knowledge that he'd never trust.

 

Or would he?

 

As Teal'c had suggested more than once, the colonel had never stopped trusting her and, perhaps, the real reason for his distance was nothing more than guilt. His job has been to protect her, to protect his team. And it was a job he'd failed that day on Nasyia. And failed further when the Ashrak had breached base security and tried to kill them.

 

Rationally, she knew that he'd honestly tried his best. That he hadn't been able to control any of what had happened. And, had she been in his shoes and he'd been spouting an alien language and had glowing eyes, she wouldn't have believed a word he'd said either.

 

But rationalizing it didn't make the betrayal hurt any less.

 

The door to the chamber opened and Sam spun, her hand reaching for her weapon. "T…T'Kar," she said, barely remembering to say the right name. "You're back."

 

"Yes," he said slowly, looking up at her in a dazed sort of way.

 

Sam hurried over to him, afraid that something had happened. She touched his hand and was shocked at how cold it was. "You're freezing," she said, pulling him towards the fire. "When you didn't come back last night, I thought you were spending the night in the temple."

 

She busied herself, pulling the food tray over to where he could reach it. "I left the temple last night," he said, staring at the food for a few seconds before grabbing some and taking a bite. "I found her," he said softly.

 

"You did? That's wonderful!" Sam smiled. "Where is she? Can I meet her?"

 

"She does not know who I am," he said. He met Sam's gaze with dark eyes that were brimming with something that looked suspiciously like tears. "Her relationship to me would be a death sentence amongst these people. I…could not do that."

 

Sam stared, her heart breaking at the tragedy of the moment. "I'm so sorry," she said, clasping his hand. "Can't we…can't she come with us? There's plenty of room."

 

Teal'c shook his head. "She has a husband and a son. His name is Ro'nak."

 

Sam smiled, recognizing the significance of the name. "That's a fine name."

 

"Indeed."

 

Teal'c set down the food and got to his feet. "We should leave. The longer we stay, the more we might endanger her. If anyone recognizes me…"

 

Sam nodded. "Zaran said we can go whenever we want."

 

Teal'c nodded. "Then let us return home."

 

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Jack O'Neill stepped through the Stargate, his rifle held at the ready. Seeing only one person waiting for him, he grabbed his radio, signaling for the rest of his team to come through. Going it alone wasn't exactly normal procedure, then again meeting up with renegade personnel wasn't something they normally did. There was a chance that it was a trap and that was a chance that Jack insisted he take alone with the rest of his team waiting in safety until he called for them.

 

"O'Neill."

 

"Teal'c, you're looking, relatively healthy," Jack said, his eyes landing on the large scar in the middle of the man's head where his golden tattoo used to be.

 

"As do you, O'Neill," he said.

 

"Teal'c," Daniel greeted, stepping forward, only stopping when Jack held out his arm, forcing him to maintain his distance.

 

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c acknowledged. "Captain Lorne, Doctor Mantranko. O'Neill, I wish to speak to you in privacy."

 

Jack shook his head. "You can speak to me right here." It felt odd to him to treat his friend with such a level of mistrust, but Jack didn't feel that he could do otherwise. Not after all that had happened.

 

"I will be happy to speak to you in this location, however I believe that this is a topic that is best discussed amongst only two."

 

Jack sighed and nodded. "Lorne, Mantranko, hold the gate. Daniel, check out the DHD."

 

"Jack?"

 

"I'm gonna go kvetch." Jack moved towards Teal'c and the two of them walked a short distance away. Just far enough to allow for a private conversation but not so far that his team couldn't take Teal'c out if they needed to. "You called this tea party," Jack said, indicating for Teal'c to start.

 

Jack had to admit that he was more than a little curious. It was a curiosity that had been eating at him ever since the gate had opened two days prior, delivering nothing but a radio request from Teal'c, asking to speak to O'Neill and giving him an address along with the promise that no one would come to any harm.

 

Despite their uncertainty about Teal'c, both Jack and Hammond had agreed that they couldn't ignore the request. So here they were. With two hours before Hammond would lock out their iris codes and add this planet to the forbidden list.

 

"I wish to speak to you of Captain Carter."

 

"Is she all right?" Jack asked, glancing around for some sign of the woman.

 

"She is in good health," Teal'c reassured him. "O'Neill, I must confess to you that, months ago, I committed a betrayal of your trust."

 

"There were no attackers," Jack said flatly, verbalizing for the first time the knowledge he'd kept to himself ever since that day when he'd lost part of his team.

 

"There were not," Teal'c confirmed. "The healer Rynlok was also a fabrication. I kidnapped Captain Carter to extort her assistance in my search for my sister."

 

"You kidnapped her?" Jack asked.

 

"Indeed."

 

"Then why do I have some very vibrant memories of her blackmailing you into taking her with you?" he asked. Teal'c frowned at him. "Before you go spinning lies, you should make sure all your witnesses are really unconscious," he said.

 

"You heard all that transpired?"

 

"I heard enough to know that there were no attackers. And that, while you did toss her over your shoulder, she wasn't carried away kicking and screaming."

 

"I see. Do more of the Tau'ri know how the attack really happened?"

 

Jack shook his head. "Not really. The others were out, although I know they've wondered once or twice just how invisible people got the jump on us and carried away a Jaffa warrior and an Air Force officer without shedding a drop of blood."

 

"That is good," Teal'c said.

 

"You didn't call me out here to rehash old times," Jack said.

 

"Indeed, I did not. I wish to repatriate Captain Carter."

 

"Repatriate?"

 

"Captain Carter's injury, in such short succession after her possession by  Jolinar of Malkshur had a profound effect upon her mental state," Teal'c said. "She felt increasingly isolated and sought solace in my presence. While doing that, she grew more and more involved in my search for my sister. This led her to take a step of which you have no knowledge. Through a meditative technique, she gained access to all of Jolinar of Malkshur's memories, along with those of Jolinar's previous hosts."

 

"She did what?" Jack asked, surprised by the revelation. When the hell had this happened? And why the hell hadn't he noticed?

 

"She used those memories to assist me in my attempts to reconcile the names of planets that I knew with the database that the SGC possesses. And, I believe, it was those very same memories that only increased her feelings of isolation as she sought to hide her knowledge from you."

 

"Why would she do that?" Jack asked, even as his own mind supplied the answer. "The NID," he said, answering his own question.

 

"Indeed."

 

"Is that why she ran away with you?" Jack asked, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place.

 

Teal'c nodded. "In a short period of time, Captain Carter experienced the trauma of being possessed by a symbiote, the death of the creature within her, being attacked and permanently damaged by Rachon's attack. She then lost her place upon the team. I must confess that I manipulated her feelings and encouraged her to explore the memories left behind by Jolinar of Malkshur out of my own selfishness and desire to find my sister. At the time, I did not conceive that she would leave Earth. I am unable to undo my actions of the past, so all I am able to do is to assist her in returning to her home."

 

"If she wants to come home, why isn't she here?" Jack asked.

 

"Captain Carter is not aware that she wishes to return home," Teal'c said.

 

"Teal'c?"

 

"I value Captain Carter's assistance, and I would be most pleased to continue with her as my companion, yet the task I have before me is a most dangerous one and I would be most grieved should she come to harm."

 

"Searching for your family is that dangerous?" Jack asked, glancing at the rest of his team who were milling restlessly by the gate.

 

"I have attained that goal. My quest now is to educate other Jaffa upon the errors of our beliefs. We no longer need to subjugate ourselves to the whims of false gods. We can be free. Free of the markings that delineate friend and foe, free of the  kingdoms that separate families. Free of our slavery."

 

Jack nodded, noting the passion in the man's voice. "That kinda sounds like a big job."

 

"And one that will very likely result in my torture and death, yet it is a job that I must undertake. That is why I wish for Captain Carter to return to her kin. If she were to remain with me, her fate would be entwined with mine."

 

"I'm guessing you haven't exactly cleared this with her?"

 

Teal'c shook his head. "She does not know that I contacted you. I believe that your presence will be most persuasive in allowing her to return home."

 

"She deserted, Teal'c. I'd be taking her back to a jail cell."

 

"You are not taking back a fugitive, you are freeing a captive," Teal'c said. "As you yourself said, we were captured."

 

Jack sighed, unable to argue with the man's logic. "Is she here?"

 

"She is. When I left she was inventorying our supplies."

 

"Is anyone else here or do you have the planet to yourself?"

 

"This village was deserted many cycles ago after a plague killed many of its inhabitants. Many consider this planet cursed, and it was scavenged years ago, thus few travel here."

 

Jack nodded and turned towards his team. "You stay here, Teal'c and I are gonna take a little walk."

 

"Jack?" Daniel jogged towards him. "What's going on?"

 

"Trust me, Daniel. The less you know the better. Stay here. If I'm not back by the deadline, get back home. No need for all of us to get locked out."

 

Daniel stared and Jack thought he was going to fight, then he shrugged. "Whatever," he said. "See you when you get back."

 

He returned to the Gate and Jack fell into step with Teal'c, following him away from the gate. "How long have you two been living here?" he asked.

 

"Soon after we left," Teal'c answered. "Our search was best carried out from a single base of operations."

 

"Did you find your sister?" Jack asked.

 

"Yes."

 

"Is she alive?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Care to tell me any details?" Jack pressed. He'd forgotten how difficult it was to get information from a Jaffa.

 

Teal'c stopped. "She lives with and is married to one of Cronos' Jaffa. She has an infant son. She does not know who I am because, if it were known that she is the sibling of the sholva, she would most likely be murdered as an example."

 

He turned and continued walking, leaving Jack behind. Jack stared after him for a few seconds, then jogged to catch up. The rest of their journey was carried out in silence. After dropping a bomb like that, there really wasn't much Jack could say anyway.

 

Teal'c led him to a small hut on the edges of a clearly abandoned village. Smoke curled from its chimney and Jack could see that they were quite settled in. A path was worn through the tall grass and he could see an animal pelt hung up to cure a short distance away.

 

As he approached, Carter walked out of the open door, a bucket of water in her hand. Upon seeing him, she stopped, the bucket dropping to the ground with an audible thump and splash. "Colonel." Her eyes shot from him to Teal'c and back. "What are you doing here?"

 

"If I understand right, I'm here to rescue you," Jack said.

 

"Rescue me? What do I need rescuing from?"

 

"From the mean, evil Jaffa that kidnapped you a few months ago."

 

She shook her head. "I wasn't--"

 

"Aah, before you go on, if you weren't kidnapped, then you deserted and I have to haul your ass back to a cell," Jack said meaningfully, staring her down.

 

She frowned but, mercifully, didn't finish her sentence. "Teal'c, what's going on? How did he find us?"

 

"O'Neill found us because he responded to my message, " Teal'c said. Teal'c moved forward, placing himself between Jack and Sam. "I will always be grateful to you for your assistance in finding my sister. Without that and your steadfast friendship, I would surely have failed. However, the time has come for you to return to your home."

 

She shook her head. "Teal'c, this is my home."

 

"This is a mere encampment, one that I will soon abandon.  Captain Carter, you allowed the trauma of your possession by Jolinar of Malkshur to isolate you from your friends. An isolation that I exploited for my own gain. This is an act for which I am truly sorry. It is, however, time for you to return home."

 

"Teal'c, there's nothing left for me back there," she said.

 

"The hell there isn't," Jack said, moving forward. "The gate hasn't run properly since you left, we've shipped out so much stuff to the egg heads at Area 51 that it'll be ten years before we find out what it is. Cassie is driving Frasier nuts and Siler hasn't had a day off since New Years."

 

"Colonel, the memories that I have--"

 

"Teal'c, has she tried to take over any planets lately?"

 

"No."

 

"Enslave anyone?" Carter crossed her arms.

 

"No."

 

"Any glowing of the eyes or hankering to wear gold lame?"

 

"No," Teal'c answered, while Jack fought to choke down a grin as Carter rolled her eyes.

 

"There, see. The memories aren't a problem." He knew that it wasn't that easy. That they would have to fully assess just what she knew and how it affected her. But that could come later. And anyway, if she'd honestly had these memories since before the two of them ran off, they couldn't be too much of an issue.

 

"And the flashbacks that I have? The fact that I can speak and read goa'uld with about a dozen other languages now? That I know the history of a lot of the goa'uld, along with the location of a few Tok'ra bases?" she challenged.

 

"Intel," Jack said. "You can take Teal'c's place in the 'I once heard a legend of...' club."

 

"Teal'c, you're coming too, aren't you?" she asked, latching onto Jack's words.

 

"I am not," he said.  
  


"Damnit, Teal'c--"

 

"Captain Carter, my place is no longer amongst the Tau'ri, I can see that now. I sought refuge in the hopes that the Tau'ri could assist me in delivering freedom to all Jaffa. However, that option is no longer available to me. Thus I will strive towards my goal another way. You have freed me. When you removed the brand of Apophis, I ceased to be merely a sholva. I am now free. And I wish to spread freedom amongst my kind. I cannot do that from Earth."

 

"I can help you."

 

"You can assist me by assisting the Tau'ri. For every battle against the goa'uld that they win, it is a battle that we will not have to fight. It is my hopes that, one day, the Jaffa and the Tau'ri will be united against the goa'uld."

 

"Teal'c—"

 

"Carter, for cryin out loud, would you just let me rescue you," Jack said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

 

"Rescue me?"

 

"Okay, you escaped, I helped. In any case, it's time to go home."

 

She turned to Teal'c. "Teal'c?"

 

He grasped her arms. "Samantha, please. The task that I am undertaking is a most difficult and dangerous one. It will ease my mind to know that you are back with your family."

 

She paused for a moment, then nodded.  "You'll stay in contact?"

 

"If I can," he promised.

 

"Look, I hate to break things up, but we have less than an hour before Hammond locks the door," Jack said. "If you have anything you want to take with you, you better pack it fast."

 

"Yes, sir," she said, looking at Teal'c one last time before she retreated into the hut.

 

"Flashbacks?" Jack asked, his voice low.

 

"Sometimes the onslaught of memories can be most overwhelming," Teal'c said. "Permit her time to process and acknowledge them and there should be little ill effect."

 

"Okay," Jack nodded. "Anything else I need to know?"

 

"She possesses knowledge of the Tok'ra. They have been fighting the goa'uld for many centuries. They could prove to be an ally."

 

"We'll check it out," Jack said as Sam walked out of the hut, a small bag clutched in her hand.  "You take care," Jack said, holding out his hand. Teal'c took it and the two of them clasped hands for a moment before separating. Jack stepped back and Sam moved forward.

 

"Be careful," she said. "Don't make me come looking for you some day."

 

"Indeed, I shall not," he said. "Do not be afraid to allow your friends to assist you," he said. "They will understand more than you believe they will. Trust them." He held her shoulders and stared until she nodded her agreement. "Now, hurry. I doubt O'Neill and the rest of SG-1 wish to join us here."

 

"Daniel's here?" she asked Jack.

 

He nodded. "Lorne and Mantranko too. And if we don't get back to the gate in the next thirty-five minutes, they're going to go home without us."

 

She nodded and the two of them started out, Sam only glancing over her shoulder once before they were over a rise and out of sight of the hut. "You know, I wasn't kidding about Siler," he said to break the silence.

 

"What about him?"

 

"He's been going bug nuts trying to keep the gate running. Hammond's even thought about lacing his coffee with tranquilizers."

 

She smiled and shook her head. "You don't have to say that to make me feel good."

 

"I'm not." He stopped walking, recognizing that they were just a hundred yards from the gate. "Carter, look. Who knows how things got so screwy but...there's a place for you at the SGC, and there always will be."

 

"And on SG-1?"

 

"If Frasier clears ya, yeah."

 

"Wouldn't the fact that we've survived out here for months speak to the fact that I can handle myself?" she asked.

 

"I think the fact that you ran away speaks louder," he challenged.

 

She looked down. "I'm sorry," she said. "But you know, if I'd have said something--"

 

"You don't know what we would have done, because you didn't give us a chance. You want back on the team, that can't happen again."

 

"You're right, it can't."

 

Jack nodded, satisfied for the time being. "Colonel O'Neill?" his radio crackled into life.

 

"Yeah, I read you Lorne. We're just over the hill, dial it up."

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Come on, Carter, let's go home."

 

Jogging, the two of them crested the rise and hurried down the hill, falling in with the rest of SG-1 before the five of them dashed up the steps and through the event horizon, on their way home.

 

~Fin~


End file.
